The impact of parental presence in the NICU on hospital alienation and other distress measures

Abstract

Parental presence in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) positively impacts infant development. Few studies have examined the impact of presence on parental distress. Alienation, or lack of trust in the healthcare team, may occur independently from other forms of distress. Increased parental presence was hypothesized to reduce alienation by allowing for more positive in-person interaction with hospital staff. Parents of infants born Experience Framework This article is associated with the Patient, Family & Community Engagement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework. (http://bit.ly/ExperienceFramework) Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens.

Keywords

• patient experience
• communication
• healthcare
• patient- and family- centered care
• nicu
• neonatology
• hospital alienation
• alienation
• parental distress
• parental presence
• family engagement