Family centered-care at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU): nurses' experiencies

Nurses' Perception

Abstract

Introduction: Family-Centered Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a practice based on scientific evidence to provide relief from suffering and well being. This practice must be constant in an environment where family members accompany their preterm or risky newborns, and the nurse, due to the strong relationship of proximity with patients, assumes the role of assisting these families in most cases. Main objective: to understand the experience of nurses in the development of family centered care of hospitalized newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Specific objectives: to describe the nursing care offered to the family during the hospitalization of the newborn in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; to describe the nurses' perception about the care taken with the family during the hospitalization of the neonate in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Methods: transversal research with a qualitative and interpretative approach. Ten nurses working in the NICU participated. In-depth interviews were conducted. Data analysis followed the steps of the Narrative Research method and had as its theoretical reference Symbolic Interactionism. Results: the categories referring to the antecedents, conditions, actions and results perceived in the care process for the newborns and their families were identified in the narratives. Conclusion: nurses understand the importance of family presence for the recovery of the newborn and for the development of parenthood, however, there are still conceptual limitations regarding the understanding of the meaning of family centered care and to consolidate this approach in practice.