Parents+: An Early Behavioral Intervention as a Pathway for Parent-Partnered Care

Background: Neonatal nurses have a major role in helping parents engage with their infant. A high level of parent participation, called Parent-Partnered Care, integrates parents as full partners in the delivery of hospital care to their infants. One parent-partnered intervention that improves infant, parent, and parent-infant outcomes is H-HOPE (Hospital to Home: Optimizing the Preterm Infant Environment). H-HOPE has 2 components: Massage+ and Parents+. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to present an evidence-based guide showing how to deliver Parents+ and the implications for nursing practice. Methods: The nursing approach to Parents+ includes participatory guidance and social support, which fosters a partnership with parents. The guidelines for using participatory guidance include a detailed description of each teaching/learning session along with implications for nursing practice. Results: Parents’ experienced many benefits from participating in the Parents+ sessions. They reported feeling more confident in the care of their infant and more satisfied with learning and delivering Massage+. Additionally, parents also reported less fears handling their infants, increased feelings of bonding/attachment, and a sensitivity/responsiveness to their infant’s behavioral cues. Implications for practice: Parents+ presents an opportunity for nurses to help parents engage with their infants and increase their confidence and competence. Parents’ desire a neonatal intensive care unit culture that embraces a comprehensive collaborative approach with healthcare professionals that is individualized to their infant’s health and well-being.