Palliative Care in Neonatal Intensive Care, Effects on Parent Stress and Satisfaction

CONTEXT: Approximately 1 in 10 infants require neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization, which causes parental stress. Palliative care (PC) provides an opportunity to alleviate suffering and stress. OBJECTIVES: This study examines the effects of PC on NICU parent stress and satisfaction. METHODS: A prospective cohort design compares stress and satisfaction among families receiving or not receiving PC. RESULTS: No significant differences in stress scores were found (P = .27-1.00). Palliative care parents (100%) were more likely to report being "extremely satisfied" with care than usual-care parents (50%). CONCLUSION: This study supports the feasibility of evaluating NICU PC services. Infants referred for PC typically have higher morbidity/mortality; therefore, higher parental stress scores may be expected. Stress levels were similar in both cohorts, thus PC did not increase stress and may decrease PC parent stress.