NICU Caregiver Communication Preferences and Disparities by Primary Language: A Qualitative Study

Effective communication between clinical providers and infant caregivers is vital to family-centered care and engagement in the NICU. Infants in the level IV NICU often have complex medical needs and prolonged lengths of stay, leading to challenges maintaining effective and consistent communication, particularly for families with a primary language other than English. The objective of this qualitative study is to determine the facilitators and barriers to effective communication among English- and Spanish-speaking caregivers in a level IV NICU.

This phenomenology qualitative study consisted of interviews with English- or Spanish-speaking caregivers of infants admitted to a single-site level IV NICU for at least 7 days. Interviews were conducted using a semistructured interview guide that sought to understand the lived experience of parents communicating with providers. Themes from coded interview transcripts were identified using inductive thematic analysis.

Nineteen interviews were completed in participants' primary language (English or Spanish), and 5 themes emerged from the analysis. For English- and Spanish-speaking caregivers, we discovered the importance of personal connection, the desire for receiving communication about changes directly from providers, and a strong desire for daily updates. For Spanish-speaking families, we found disparities in the use of communication-related technology and consistent communication from providers in their primary language.

In this qualitative study, we identified caregiver preferences for communication from providers in a level IV NICU and demonstrated disparate experiences for Spanish-speaking caregivers. Future work should focus on developing interventions that address these identified barriers to communication.