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Practice Applications of Research
Janice S. Hayes, PhD, RN
Purpose: To identify the perceived needs of parents of infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Method: A convenience sample of 52 parents of NICU infants completed the NICU Family Needs Inventory that was modified from the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The differences between mother and father responses were analyzed by ANOVA.
Findings: The ten most important and least important need statements were identified. The participants reported assurance and information-related needs as the most important, while support needs were ranked as least important. An ANOVA revealed a significant difference between mother and father responses. Fathers ranked support, information, and assurance needs as significantly less important than mothers did.
Conclusions: The findings suggest the need to inform parents of the infants treatment plan and procedures, answer parents' questions honestly, actively listen to parents' fears and expectations, assist parents in understanding infant responses to hospitalization, and other effective nursing interventions to help meet the needs of parents of NICU infants.
The environment of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) serves as a significant source of stress for parents. Neonatal units are often burdened with loud sounds, unpleasant sights and procedures, and crowds of health care professionals. Other sources of stress for parents of NICU infants have been found to be alterations in the parental role, uncertainty of the infants outcome, and ineffective patterns of communication among health care providers and parents (Brunessen, & Miles, 1996; Holditch-Davis & Miles, 2000; Miles, Funk, & Kasper, 1992; Wereszczak, Miles, & Holditch-Davis, 1997; Yu, Jamieson, & Astbury, 1981). Stressful experiences can lead to barriers in parent-infant interactions (Goldberg, 1978) that appear to have a long-term impact on parenting (Miles & Holditch-Davis, 1995; Perehudoff, 1990).
If an important goal of nursing care in the NICU is to provide holistic, family-centered care and enhance the best possible outcome, then parental perceived needs must be recognized (Perehudoff, 1990). Inappropriate responses to needs may lead family members to experience heightened levels of anxiety, fear, and misunderstanding (Gardner & Stewart, 1978).
The nurse's ability to differentiate between a need and a stressor of NICU parents is important. A need is an "undesirable state of affairs, a...