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Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Healthcare professionals' experience of reports of concern about infants - an interview study in Swedish neonatal
Josefine Ejnell Bjursell1, Stefan Nilsson2, Katarina Patriksson3
1Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Division of Neonatology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Insights
Neonatal healthcare professionals navigate responsibility, uncertainty, and organizational constraints when reporting child maltreatment risks. Understanding these factors can improve safeguarding for vulnerable infants and families.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neonatal Care
- Child Protection
Background:
- Infants discharged from neonatal units face elevated child maltreatment risks.
- Limited understanding exists on how neonatal healthcare professionals perceive and respond to identified risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore healthcare professionals' experiences with mandatory child maltreatment reporting in neonatal care.
- To understand cross-disciplinary perspectives on identifying and reporting risks.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative, explorative study design.
- Individual interviews conducted with 24 healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses, midwife, assistant nurses) across four Swedish neonatal units.
- Inductive qualitative content analysis of interview data.
Main Results:
- A central theme emerged: 'Navigating between responsibility, uncertainty and organizational constraints'.
- Key categories included: 'Personally bearing responsibility', 'Sharing responsibility with colleagues', and 'Placing responsibility on the organization'.
- Six subcategories were identified within each of these main categories.
Conclusions:
- Healthcare professionals' reporting decisions are influenced by personal, professional, and organizational factors (hospital and social services).
- Improved safeguarding practices are needed to ensure timely support for vulnerable infants and families.
- This research provides insights to strengthen protective measures in neonatal care settings.
Background:
Some infants discharged from neonatal units are at increased risk of child maltreatment; however, there is limited knowledge regarding how neonatal healthcare professionals perceive and respond to situations in which such risks are identified.
Objective:
To elucidate healthcare professionals' experiences of situations involving mandatory reporting of child maltreatment in neonatal care across professional disciplines.
Participants And Setting:
A total of 24 healthcare professionals (eight physicians, seven nurses, one midwife, and eight assistant nurses) from four neonatal units in Sweden were included.
Methods:
Qualitative, explorative design based on individual interviews. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach.
Results:
The analysis resulted in one main category; Navigating between responsibility, uncertainty and organizational constraints and three categories; Personally bearing responsibility, Sharing responsibility with colleagues and Placing responsibility on the organization, each comprising six related subcategories.
Conclusion:
Healthcare professionals in neonatal care address situations involving identification of and reporting concerns from both their personal and professional perspectives, influenced by organizational factors from the hospital and the social services. This knowledge can be used to strengthen safeguarding practices to ensure that vulnerable infants and their families receive timely and appropriate support.
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