Facilitating Visitation in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Examining the Influence of Parental Feeding Involvement

Abstract

Each year thousands of infants in the United States are admitted to a Neonatal intensive Care Unit (NICU). These units exist to provide highly specialized care to a wide array of newborns in critical condition. However, the care provided by hospitals must be coupled with care and involvement from the infant’s family in order for there to be a truly successful outcome. This study aimed to determine if parents who were more actively involved in the feeding of their infants were more likely to visit their children in the NICU. As part of a larger multi-methods study, this project analyzed medical chart data, visitation logs, and questionnaires completed by 30 parents of children admitted to a large Level III/ Level IV NICU in the southeastern US. Findings indicated that parents who reported higher levels of participation in feeding rituals during their child’s NICU stay were more likely to spend longer periods of time in the NICU than the parents who reported lower levels of participation. As more and more children are admitted to the NICU each year, it is important for healthcare providers to improve their methods for facilitating visitation. This research indicates that when hospitals take action to involve parents in caregiving, there is potential for increased visitation.