Continuous and Uninterrupted Family Presence in the NICU

Introduction

Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) are vital in providing critical care to babies requiring specialized medical care due to various health conditions. Amidst the delicate balance of embedding medical intervention within nurturance, recognizing the profound impact of a parent’s* presence and active participation in caring for their babies is imperative.

*For this paper, the authors are adopting the American Association of University Women’s DEI Toolkit definition of the word parent, which states: “In very basic terms, parental status is whether or not a person has a child or children. This includes being a biological parent, step-parent, adoptive parent, guardian, foster parent, [primary caregiver] or custodian of a minor”. We will, therefore, use the term parent and all variations of the word throughout this paper to represent the relationship and status of a baby’s primary caregiver.

Position

We advocate for all NICUs to consider parents as their babies’ primary caregivers and essential, equal, and integral members of the care team. From admission through discharge, hospital policies and bedside care should encourage and support continuous and uninterrupted presence and participation.