Parents’ Experiences of Communication in Neonatal Care

One in seven babies born in the UK and other high-income countries will receive hospital care on a neonatal unit. This is an understandably stressful time for parents, with as many as 35% reporting symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder following neonatal care. Parental stress has been shown to interfere with parent–child bonding, and there is a well-established link between maternal mental health and infant development. It is therefore important to understand parents experiences of neonatal care to inform where there might be room for improvement in person-centred care delivery

Imperial College London and Picker worked collaboratively to adapt Picker’s existing neonatal survey for parents by ensuring it was suitable for real time feedback (i.e. to ask parents about their baby’s neonatal care whilst they were still staying on a neonatal unit). The approach is detailed in a paper published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood – Fetal Edition journal, and can be viewed via the below link.