Healthcare professionals' experience of reports of concern about infants - an interview study in Swedish neonatal care

Background Some infants discharged from neonatal units are at increased risk of child maltreatment; however, there is limited knowledge regarding how neonatal healthcare professionals perceive and respond to situations in which such risks are identified. Objective To elucidate healthcare professionals ' experiences of situations involving mandatory reporting of child maltreatment in neonatal care across professional disciplines. Participants and setting A total of 24 healthcare professionals (eight physicians, seven nurses, one midwife, and eight assistant nurses) from four neonatal units in Sweden were included. Methods Qualitative, explorative design based on individual interviews. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. Results The analysis resulted in one main category; Navigating between responsibility, uncertainty and organizational constraints and three categories; Personally bearing responsibility , Sharing responsibility with colleagues and Placing responsibility on the organization, each comprising six related subcategories. Conclusion Healthcare professionals in neonatal care address situations involving identification of and reporting concerns from both their personal and professional perspectives, influenced by organizational factors from the hospital and the social services. This knowledge can be used to strengthen safeguarding practices to ensure that vulnerable infants and their families receive timely and appropriate support.