Parents+: An Early Behavioral Intervention as a Pathway for Parent-Partnered Care.

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Nursing
• Parent-Infant Interaction
• Healthcare Interventions

Background:

• Neonatal nurses play a crucial role in facilitating parent-infant engagement.
• Parent-Partnered Care integrates parents as active partners in infant hospital care.
• H-HOPE (Hospital to Home: Optimizing the Preterm Infant Environment) is an intervention improving infant and parent outcomes, with components like Massage+ and Parents+.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an evidence-based guide for implementing the Parents+ intervention.
• To outline the implications of the Parents+ program for nursing practice.

Main Methods:

• The Parents+ approach utilizes participatory guidance and social support to build a partnership with parents.
• Guidelines detail teaching/learning sessions for participatory guidance.
• Focus on implications for nursing practice in delivering the intervention.

Main Results:

• Parents reported increased confidence in infant care and satisfaction with learning Massage+.
• Parents experienced reduced fear in handling their infants.
• Parents showed increased bonding, attachment, and responsiveness to infant cues.

Conclusions:

• Parents+ empowers nurses to enhance parental engagement, confidence, and competence with their infants.
• Parents advocate for a collaborative neonatal intensive care unit culture tailored to infant needs.