Parental perspectives on technology use to enhance communication and closeness during the COVID-19 parental presence restrictions

Marsha Campbell-Yeo; Holly McCulloch; Brianna Hughes; Amos Hundert; Justine Dol; Michael Smit; Jehier Afifi; Fabiana Bacchini; Tanya Bishop; Jon Dorling; Rebecca Earle; Annette Elliott Rose; Darlene Inglis; Carye Leighton; Gail MacRae; Andrea Melanson; David C Simpson; Leah Whitehead

doi:10.1016/j.jnn.2022.05.002

Parental perspectives on technology use to enhance communication and closeness during the COVID-19 parental presence restrictions

J Neonatal Nurs. 2023 Feb;29(1):169-173. doi: 10.1016/j.jnn.2022.05.002. Epub 2022 May 12.

Authors

Marsha Campbell-Yeo^{1

2

3}, Holly McCulloch³, Brianna Hughes¹, Amos Hundert³, Justine Dol³, Michael Smit⁴, Jehier Afifi^{2

3}, Fabiana Bacchini⁵, Tanya Bishop³, Jon Dorling⁶, Rebecca Earle³, Annette Elliott Rose³, Darlene Inglis³, Carye Leighton³, Gail MacRae³, Andrea Melanson³, David C Simpson^{2

3}, Leah Whitehead³

Affiliations

¹ School of Nursing, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
² Departments of Pediatrics, Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
³ IWK Health, Halifax, NS, Canada.
⁴ School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
⁵ Canadian Premature Babies Foundation, Canada.
⁶ Department of Neonatal Medicine, Princess Anne Hospital, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, England, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Objective: To explore parental perspectives on the use of technology in neonatal intensive care units (NICU), and its impact during COVID-19 parental presence restrictions.

Methods: Co-designed online survey targeting parents of infants admitted to a Canadian NICU from March 1st, 2020 until March 5th, 2021.

Results: Parents (n = 117) completed the survey from 38 NICUs. Large variation in policies regarding parental permission to use technology across sites was reported. Restrictive use of technology was reported as a source of parental stress. While families felt that technology helped them feel close to their infant when they could not be in the NICU, it did not replace being in-person.

Conclusion: Large variation in policies were reported. Despite concerns about devices in NICUs, evidence on how to mitigate these concerns exists. Benefits of using technology to enhance parental experiences appear substantial. Future study is needed to inform recommendations on technology use in the NICU.

Keywords: Communication; Family-centered care; Hospital restrictions; Neonatal intensive care unit; Parent survey; Technology.