Challenges of Family-Centered Care in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit during the Visitation Restrictions After COVID-19 Pandemic Peak: A Qualitative Study of Parents’ and Nurses’ Perspectives

Abstract

Family-centered care is crucial for parent-infant bonding and collaborative healthcare in neonatal intensive care units. COVID-19 visitation restrictions have hindered this care’s effectiveness and posed challenges in Thai units. This study, conducted in a southern Thailand hospital, explored nurses’ and parents’ perspectives on implementing family-centered care during restricted visitation policies, providing globally applicable insights. An exploratory-descriptive qualitative approach was used, involving semi-structuredinterviews with ten nurses and ten parents to explore their nuanced perspectives from June to August 2023. The interviews were conducted face-to-face, individually, using a semi-structured interview guide, and the transcripts were analyzed using thematicanalysis to identify significant themes. Findings from this study comprised five themes: 1) Having a mindset to involve parents in care, 2) Parents receiving psychological support, 3) Challenges of communication, 4) Negative impact of restricted visiting times, and 5) Accommodating flexible visiting hours in exceptional circumstances. Providing the best possible care for infants requires an adaptable and flexible approach to meet each family’s unique needs. Additionally, healthcare providers need to explore how they can implementfamily-centered care effectively during visiting restrictions in the NICU in different contexts. Further research is necessary to investigate the practical implementation of this by nurses and how hospital administrators can support it in Thai neonatal intensive care units under policies restricting family visits.