Tool to enhance relationships between staff and parents in the neonatal unit.

Abstract

Objective: To explore the experiences of neonatal nurses in the implementation of a tool to enhance relationships between staff and parents in the neonatal unit: the You and Your Baby Nursery Guide. Design: Qualitative descriptive design with focus groups. Setting: The study took place in a Level 4, 20-bed neonatal unit in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Participants: Purposive sample of seven registered nurses who worked day or afternoon shifts. Methods: We conducted two semistructured focus groups after a 4-week implementation period of the You and Your Baby Nursery Guide. Participants completed a weekly reflective journal throughout the implementation period. We audiotaped and transcribed the focus groups and qualitatively analyzed the interview data with the use of thematic analysis. Results: Use of the guide helped transform the relationships between parents and staff. The use of the guide enhanced communication, promoted participants' personal reflection on their clinical skills and style/approach to parent engagement, and directly affected the care participants provided to infants and families. Conclusion: The You and Your Baby Nursery Guide was a useful resource to facilitate the delivery of family-centered, developmentally supportive care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)