title: Digital scrapbooking as a standard of care in neonatal intensive care units: initial experience.
abstract: In this article, we describe a digital photo scrapbooking project as a standard of care for the parents of infants admitted in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Photographs were taken from birth until discharge or expiry at special moments during the infant's hospitalization and used to create a digital scrapbook with daily notes by the parents. The scrapbook and original photos were provided on a CD at discharge or at expiry. Parents and their families unanimously appreciated the photos and the opportunity to record their thoughts, and considered the CDs as a lifetime treasure. Digital photo journaling could be implemented as a standard of care at other institutions with a commitment from the nursing and ancillary staff of the NICU and labor and delivery department, with possible support from volunteers.
authors.affiliation: Northwest Texas Hospital, and Texas Tech University, Department of Pediatrics, 1400 S. Coulter St., Amarillo, TX 79106, USA. subhani@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Muhammad T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Subhani
authors.forename: Ifrah
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kanwal
mesh_terms: D016250:Compact Disks; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010781:Photography; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D015397:Program Evaluation