Research overview
Family Integrated Care (FICare) is a model of care where parents are active partners with the healthcare team looking after their sick or preterm baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The FICare model has been associated with reduced parental stress, improved weight gain for the baby, improved breastfeeding rates and shorter length of stay in hospital for the baby.
FICare enables parents to become familiar with various aspects of care for their babies under guidance and with support in a safe space, fostering confidence and developing skills which will assist them in the transition to caring for their babies when they are discharged from hospital. The parents are taught how to care for their preterm or sick baby such as cleaning and holding their baby. Medical and nursing staff as well as social workers support parents to help them grow into their role as care providers for their baby.
Most of the evidence on the positive impact of the FICare program has been on maternal mental health and infant health outcomes. There are few qualitative studies that have investigated the experience of families with the FICare program. Those studies that have asked families about the program have reported positive and empowering experiences. There has been no qualitative research involving Aboriginal families.
In December 2017, the FICare model was introduced into KEMH NICU and is provided to all families who have babies in NICU. Since the implementation of the FICare program there has been no formal evaluation on whether families find it acceptable and if there are any improvements that could be made. Consequently, there is little understanding of how the program can be improved for these families to ensure they benefit from the positive effects of FICare program.
With the addition of non-Aboriginal families to the project we can ensure that the FICare program provided caters for all families in the NICU and that there is equity of access to care for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal families.
The objectives of this project were to:
- investigate whether the FICare program is acceptable to families who have preterm infants in the NICU at KEMH
- determine whether parents’ views on the FICare program differs between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal families, and
- provide recommendations and staff education material on how the FICare program can be improved for families attending the NICU at KEMH.
Project researchers
Clinical Associate Professor Mary Sharp
Partners
King Edward Memorial Hospital
Funders
Channel 7 Telethon Trust
Project timeline
2021
