What question did this study set out to answer?

This review aims to identify and analyze interventions that support parents during and after the neonatal end of life.

April 16, 2026

A mixed-methods systematic review of interventions for parents during and after neonatal end of life in the neonatal intensive care unit

Key Points

This review aims to identify and analyze interventions that support parents during and after the neonatal end of life.
Conducted a systematic search in multiple databases including CINAHL, Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO.
Two authors independently screened studies and extracted relevant data.
Evaluated 175 articles and included nine studies for final analysis.
Tailored interventions like photography and medical summaries significantly improved parents' experiences and coping.
The review highlights the benefits of bereavement support for parents during this difficult time.
Limitations include small sample sizes and methodological differences that affect the generalizability of findings.

Abstract

Background: Parents of newborns at the end of life or after death require support to cope with the situation. Aim: This mixed-methods systematic review analyses various interventions designed to support parents in the neonatal intensive care unit. Method: A systematic search was conducted in June 2023 in EBSCO (CINAHL), Medline (PubMed), Embase and PsycINFO (Ovid) with citation tracking. Two authors independently screened studies and extracted data. Findings: Of 6909 articles assessed, 175 were evaluated and nine studies were included. Tailored interventions like photography, medical summaries and bereavement support significantly improved parents' experiences and coping. However, small sample sizes and methodological differences limit generalisability. Further research is needed to refine these interventions. Conclusion: The interventions reviewed provided significant benefits for parents, highlighting the importance of tailored support strategies in the neonatal intensive care unit.

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Cite This Study

Boutros et al. (Thu,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69e07e992f7e8953b7cbf738 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.12968/ijpn.2025.0016

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