Nurse-parent communication and interaction during caregiving events in single-family room neonatal intensive care units

Objectives: This study systematically describes neonatal nurses' communication and interactions with parents of preterm infants during nurse-guided caregiving events in the first week after birth, in family-centered neonatal intensive care units with single-family rooms. Methods: In-situ video observations were analysed using an interaction analysis approach. Innovation: This study focused on interactions in family-centered neonatal intensive care units with single-family rooms. The in situ video observation of nurse-guided caregiving events provides a new and important perspective on the implementation and operation of single-family room design in neonatal intensive care units. Conclusion: Our study suggests that nurse-parent communication and interactions during caregiving events are complex and multifaceted. Nurses must balance the provision of advanced care to preterm infants with support for parents. The implementation of family-centered care and single-family room design has positive outcomes for both infants and parents, but it requires advanced communication skills in comprehensive interactions with parents. We recommend that the implementation of family-centered models of care and single-family rooms in new NICUs in the future be accompanied by a broader focus on communication with parents as a core component of care.