Exploring neonatal nurses’ and parents’ understanding of communication

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Exploring neonatal nurses’ and parents’ understanding of the factors that both enhance and hinder communication and early interaction between preterm infants and their parents.

• IRAS ID

  309641

• Contact name

  Julia Petty

• Contact email

  j.petty@herts.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Hertfordshire

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 9 months, 31 days

• Research summary

  Summary of Research:
  This project will investigate both nurse and parent understanding of factors that enhance or hinder the development of communication and early interaction between preterm infants and their caregivers within a neonatal unit setting. Having a preterm infant is stressful for parents, and learning how to communicate and enhance maternal/carer sensitivity to an infant through eye contact, initiating talking with and responding using natural gestures and facial expressions can increase attachment and bonding, support parent well–being, and improve the interpretation of early infant communication signals during everyday care.

  The need to explore infant interaction in the early stages of development is an urgent necessity as increased mask wearing, as part of protective personal equipment (PPE) use during the COVID pandemic, has highlighted the importance of communication with infants when developing caring skills and the lack of understanding as to what constitutes good communication.

  Neonatal nurses and parents from one Inner City Level 1 neonatal unit (the Royal Free Hospital NW3 site) will be eligible to participate. Nurses and parents will be asked to take part in one in-depth interview. Potential participants will receive information about the study and will be expected to provide signed consent. They will be asked questions about how they developed communication competence and skills in learning how to talk to the infants they care for, or their own infant. The study will last approximately 12 months.

  Summary of Findings:
  We interviewed eight parents of premature babies and nine neonatal nurses within two NHS neonatal units to ask them about how they communicated with babies on the unit, what helped and what prevented good communication. Particular interest was in the following areas.....
  i) consideration about what was hard when learning to understand babies' communication.
  ii) what has helped parents learn to understand how their babies communicate.
  iii) any other reflections relevant to communication in the neonatal unit.
  All interviews were recorded and then they were examined for important common areas of discussion. There were.....
  PARENTS
  The experience of being in the neonatal unit Different ways to communicate with their babies Barriers to communication The transition from the neonatal unit to being at home NURSES Working within neonatal care and their role The importance of supporting parents to communicate with their babies The importance of encouraging communication The impact of COVID on communication

  Our study revealed that parents want to communicate with their babies, understand the benefits of it and want to learn as much as possible to improve their skills. It was clear that the parents trusted the neonatal staff who are well placed to educate parents. This could positively influence the development of babies both during their stay in the unit and after discharge home. Unfortunately, parents received varying advice and support, both in the neonatal unit and post-discharge, concurring with previous research.

  The study also found that neonatal nurses have complex and challenging duties to undertake when working with preterm babies and their immediate families; they recognise that encouraging parents to bond, touch, hold and interact with their baby is important, but their knowledge related to developing early language is limited. It is recommended that further work, developed by speech and language therapists working with neonatal nurses, could promote early communication methods to be used within neonatal care. Such strategies are relatively low cost, but when used with appropriate, sensitive and regular role-modelling and education, can be of great benefit to both parents and babies.

  It is important that a consistent, inclusive and supportive approach (underpinned with appropriate education and resources) is used for all families. The benefits to parents are widespread as their anxiety will be reduced, they will bond more readily with their baby as well as develop confidence to identify their baby's language needs - all of this will serve to enhance the baby's experience and promote their development.

• REC name

  Wales REC 6

• REC reference

  22/WA/0137

• Date of REC Opinion

  20 May 2022

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion