School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland; Institute for Public Health, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Department of Quality, Safety and Practice Excellence, St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Early Hum Dev. 2021 Dec;163:105486. doi: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2021.105486. Epub 2021 Oct 14.
Early parent engagement in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is important for both parent and infant mental health and for improving developmental outcomes. It remains unclear how different programs, such as the Supporting and Enhancing NICU Sensory Experiences (SENSE) program, may empower parents from various socio-demographic groups to engage in the NICU. An improved understanding could aid in individualizing interventions for those at the highest risk for health disparities.
This exploratory study, which was part of a larger study, sought to explore 1) socio-demographic factors related to parent presence and engagement in the NICU and 2) if the SENSE program related to increased parent presence and engagement among different socio-demographic groups.
Seventy parent-infant dyads (born ≤ 32 weeks gestation) were randomized to SENSE programming (parent education and age-appropriate, positive sensory interventions for parents to conduct with their infants every day of hospitalization) or standard care after admission to the NICU. The amount of parent presence and participation in sensory activities was tracked using bedside logs, nursing records, and research team documentation.
Being married (p = 0.048; p = 0.01), having private insurance (p < 0.001; p = 0.01), and having fewer children (p = 0.004; p = 0.03) related to more parent presence and engagement respectively. Parents who were Black had less presence and engagement in the NICU (p = 0.04; p = 0.02). Participation in the SENSE program was related to more parent presence and engagement among younger mothers (p = 0.002; p ≤0.001) and among parents living farther distances from the hospital (p < 0.001; p = 0.004).
Programming, such as the SENSE program, can improve parent engagement in the NICU among high-risk groups.
早期父母在新生儿重症监护病房（NICU）的参与对父母和婴儿的心理健康以及改善发育结果都很重要。目前尚不清楚支持和增强新生儿感官体验（SENSE）等不同方案如何使来自不同社会人口群体的父母有能力参与 NICU。深入了解这一点有助于为那些面临健康差异风险最高的人量身定制干预措施。
这项探索性研究是一项更大研究的一部分，旨在探讨 1）与父母在 NICU 中的存在和参与相关的社会人口学因素，以及 2）SENSE 方案是否与不同社会人口学群体中父母存在和参与的增加有关。
70 对母婴 dyad（出生胎龄≤32 周）随机分配至 SENSE 编程（父母教育和适合年龄的、积极的感官干预措施，父母每天在住院期间对婴儿进行）或 NICU 入院后的标准护理。使用床边日志、护理记录和研究团队的记录来跟踪父母的存在和参与感官活动的情况。
已婚（p=0.048；p=0.01）、有私人保险（p<0.001；p=0.01）、子女较少（p=0.004；p=0.03）分别与父母的存在和参与度更高相关。黑人父母在 NICU 中的存在和参与度较低（p=0.04；p=0.02）。参与 SENSE 方案与年轻母亲（p=0.002；p≤0.001）和距离医院较远的父母（p<0.001；p=0.004）的父母的存在和参与度更高相关。
SENSE 等方案可以提高高危人群在 NICU 中的父母参与度。
