title: Parents' experiences of their premature infants' transportation from a university hospital NICU to the NICU at two local hospitals.
abstract: The aim of this study was to describe how the parents of premature infants experience the transportation of their baby from the neonatal intensive care unit at a university hospital (NICU-U) to such a unit at a local hospital (NICU-L). This descriptive qualitative study comprises interviews with nine sets of parents and two mothers. The qualitative content analysis resulted in one theme: living in uncertainty about whether the baby will survive, and three categories: being distanced from the baby; fearing that something would happen to the baby during transportation; and experiencing closeness to the baby. The results also revealed that the parents experienced developmental, situational and health-illness transitions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Hedmark University College, Elverum, Norway; Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Norway.
authors.forename: Marie Dahlen
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Granrud
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Norway.
authors.forename: Elin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ludvigsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Gjøvik University College, Norway, and Department of Palliative Research Centre, Ersta Sköndal University College and Ersta Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: birgitta.andershed@hig.no.
authors.forename: Birgitta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Andershed
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006764:Hospitals, Community; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013548:Sweden; D014187:Transportation of Patients / Q000458:organization & administration*
keywords: Experience; Parents; Premature; Transition; Transportation