One size does not fit all: parents' evaluations of a support program in a newborn intensive care nursery.
As intensive care nursery personnel increasingly seek to provide comprehensive care to families, there is a renewed emphasis on offering family support programs.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to identify parents' utilization and evaluation of a support program based in a newborn intensive care unit (NICU) that offered a combination of formats for support services: group support, one-to-one support, and telephone support.


METHODS
Program records and a survey developed by the author documented parental use and evaluation of services. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis of demographic data, survey results, and parental comments.


RESULTS
Of the total 477 participants, 78% utilized 1 support service format exclusively. Eighteen percent utilized 2 support formats concurrently. A subsample of 48 parents completed an evaluation survey. Continuity of care was a critical component of the program overall. Group support offered more opportunities for families to problem-solve communication issues with nursery personnel and provide information that assisted parents' involvement in their babies' care.


CONCLUSIONS
Parent support programs that utilize only one type of format may not be optimal for providing the range of support needed by many NICU families. Parent support programs offer an important mechanism to assess provider approaches to facilitate family-centered care.
Hurst
Irene
I
Department of Nursing, College of Health and Social Services, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, 88003, USA. ihurst@nmsu.edu
D000328:Adult; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D003376:Counseling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D022143:Family Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012944:Social Support; D013689:Telephone; D014481:United States