title: Impact of Parental Presence at Infants' Bedside on Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.
abstract: Despite increased incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) over the past decade, minimal data exist on benefits of parental presence at the bedside on NAS outcomes.
  
  
  
  To examine the association between rates of parental presence and NAS outcomes.
  
  
  
  This was a retrospective, single-center cohort study of infants treated pharmacologically for NAS using a rooming-in model of care. Parental presence was documented every 4 hours with nursing cares. We obtained demographic data for mothers and infants and assessed covariates confounding NAS severity and time spent at the bedside. Outcomes included length of stay (LOS) at the hospital, extent of pharmacotherapy, and mean Finnegan withdrawal score. Multiple linear regression modeling assessed the association of parental presence with outcomes.
  
  
  
  For the 86 mother-infant dyads, the mean parental presence during scoring was on average 54.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 48.8%-60.7%) of the infant's hospitalization. Maximum (100%) parental presence was associated with a 9 day shorter LOS (r = -0.31; 95% CI, -0.48 to -0.10; P < .01), 8 fewer days of infant opioid therapy (r = -0.34; 95% CI, -0.52 to -0.15; P < .001), and 1 point lower mean Finnegan score (r = -0.35; 95% CI, -0.52 to -0.15; P < .01). After adjusting for breastfeeding, parental presence remained significantly associated with reduced NAS score and opioid treatment days.
  
  
  
  More parental time spent at the infant's bedside was associated with decreased NAS severity. This has important implications for clinical practice guidelines for NAS.
authors.affiliation: Boston Combined Residency Program in Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; marybeth.howard@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Mary Beth
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Davida M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Schiff
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; and.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Penwill
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; and.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Si
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; and.
authors.forename: Anjali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rai
authors.affiliation: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Biddeford, Maine.
authors.forename: Tahlia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wolfgang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Moses
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Elisha M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Wachman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000379:methods; D007902:Length of Stay; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009357:Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid