Infant and Family Outcomes and Experiences Related to Family-Centered Care Interventions in the NICU: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Family-centered care (FCC) has been promoted as a model of care in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) for decades. We aimed to synthesize recent evidence about infant and parent outcomes and experiences of FCC interventions in the NICU.

METHODS

Studies were identified through searches of PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycInfo, and Web of Science (2019-2024). We systematically reviewed English language research from peer-reviewed journals. We excluded studies about Family-Integrated Care and Close Collaboration with Parents to avoid redundancy with other recent reviews.

RESULTS

Twenty studies evaluated 19 FCC interventions compared with regular NICU care for a total of 3502 parents/primary caregivers of infants in NICUs in 11 countries. The designs were quantitative (n = 16), qualitative (n = 3), and mixed methods (n = 1). Significant improvements in infant outcomes included feeding (n = 3), weight (n = 1), and length of stay (n = 1). There were no worsened infant outcomes. Significant improvements in parent outcomes included participation, experience, satisfaction, and parent mental health. Two studies had mixed results for parent outcomes, with minimal worsened outcomes. Qualitative findings were also mostly positive.

CONCLUSIONS

Recent research shows positive infant and family outcomes with a range of FCC interventions in the NICU. However, more RCTs comparing interventions and using similar validated outcome measures are needed.