Challenges and Issues Experienced by Parents of Preterm Neonates Admitted in the NICU

Aswini Sunil Sailaja, Sreeja Savithriamma Aravindakshan, Radhika Sujatha

Abstract

Background and Aim: Preterm birth is a tense event that makes the neonate vulnerable to many health issues and puts the parents under distress. Preterm neonates require close monitoring, and hence, are usually admitted in the NICU. This study aimed to explore the challenges and issues experienced by the parents whose preterm neonates are admitted in the NICU.

Materials and Methods: This study followed a qualitative phenomenological design, and it was conducted in inborn nursery and outborn nursery of a tertiary care hospital. Using the purposive sampling technique, 24 parents whose preterm neonates were admitted in the NICU were enrolled into the study. Data about the problems experienced by the parents were collected through in-depth interview and focused group discussions. The collected data were analyzed qualitatively to derive the themes.

Results: The themes that emerged from qualitative analysis were clustered into 10 main themes. The parental challenges include difficulties faced during the admission of the neonate to the NICU; difficulty obtaining information about the neonate’s health status; difficulties with visiting and interacting with the neonate; lack of adequate parent–neonate interaction; feeding problems in the neonate; lack of knowledge about caring for sick preterm neonates; and physical, psychological, and social issues experienced by the parents.

Conclusion: Both fathers and mothers faced several challenges with the birth of preterm neonates. These issues need to be minimized by strengthening the existing communication and support rendered to them to navigate through the phase better. Scaling up of the existing systems and structures could reduce these challenges experienced by all the stakeholders.