title: Parents' presence and parent-infant closeness in 11 neonatal intensive care units in six European countries vary between and within the countries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little is known about the amount of physical parent-infant closeness in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), and this study explored that issue in six European countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  The parents of 328 preterm infants were recruited in 11 NICUs in Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Italy and Spain. They filled in daily diaries about how much time they spent in the NICU, in skin-to-skin contact (SSC) and holding their babies in the first two weeks of their hospitalisation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The parents' NICU presence varied from a median of 3.3 (minimum 0.7-maximum 6.7) to 22.3 (18.7-24.0) hours per day (p < 0.001), SSC varied from 0.3 (0-1.4) to 6.6 (2.2-19.5) hours per day (p < 0.001) and holding varied from 0 (0-1.5) to 3.2 (0-7.4) hours per day (p < 0.001). Longer SSC was associated with singleton babies and more highly educated mothers. Holding the baby for longer was associated with gestational age. The most important factor supporting parent-infant closeness was the opportunity to stay overnight in the NICU. Having other children and the distance from home to the hospital had no impact on parent-infant closeness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parents spent more time in NICUs if they could stay overnight, underlining the importance that these facilities play in establishing parent-infant closeness.
authors.affiliation: Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Simo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raiskila
authors.affiliation: University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Axelin
authors.affiliation: Tallinn Children's Hospital, Tallinn, Estonia.|Tartu University, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Liis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Toome
authors.affiliation: Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caballero
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Drammen Hospital, Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, Drammen, Norway.|University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Bente Silnes
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Tandberg
authors.affiliation: 0-3 Centre for the at-Risk Infant, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Montirosso
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Normann
authors.affiliation: Huddinge Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Boubou
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hallberg
authors.affiliation: Huddinge Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Westrup
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ewald
authors.affiliation: Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Liisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lehtonen
mesh_terms: D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D007224:Infant Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016487:Parenting; D010290:Parents
keywords: Family-centred care; Kangaroo care; Preterm infants; Single-family room parent-infant closeness; Skin-to-skin care