Enhancing person-centred communication in NICU: a comparative thematic analysis.
OBJECTIVE
Aims of this article were (a) to explore how parents of premature infants experience guided family-centred care (GFCC), and (b) to compare how parents receiving GFCC versus standard care (SC) describe nurse-parent communication in the neonatal intensive care unit.


BACKGROUND
Family-centred care (FCC) is acknowledged as fundamental to supporting parents of premature infants, and communication is central to this practice. Accordingly, nurses need good communication skills. GFCC is an intervention developed to improve nurse-parent communication in the neonatal intensive care unit. This intervention helps nurses to realize person-centred communication as an approach to optimize contemporary practice.


METHODS
Our qualitative study had a descriptive and comparative design using semi-structured interviews to explore the parent's experience of GFCC.


METHODS
We conducted 10 dyad interviews with parents (n = 20) and two individual interviews with mothers of premature infants (n = 2). Parents in the intervention group versus SC group were 13 versus 9. Thematic analysis was applied.


RESULTS
GFCC was generally experienced as supportive. Three interrelated themes were identified that illustrated how the intervention helped parents cope as persons, parents and couples: (a) discovering and expressing emotions, (b) reaching a deeper level of communication, and (c) obtaining mutual understanding. In contrast, SC communication was more superficial and less structured. Factors such as inaccessibility of nurses, inability to ask for assistance and parent popularity impaired successful communication.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggested that compared to SC, GFCC provided structured delivery of supportive communication between nurses and parents of premature infants. The intervention promoted the discovery of the parents' individual preferences and concerns, which enabled more focused communication, and set the stage for better nurse-parent and parent-parent understanding. We recommend GFCC as a method to improve communication in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Department of Neonatology, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Janne
J
Weis
Steno Diabetes Centre A/S, Gentofte, Denmark.
Vibeke
V
Zoffmann
Health and Medical Sciences and Trauma Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Ingrid
I
Egerod
D003142:Communication; D022143:Family Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control
Communication; Family-centred care; Intervention; Neonatal intensive care unit; Neonatal nursing; Parental stress