The family (defined by the infant’s parents and/or guardians) has 24-hour unrestricted access to their infant and is provided the opportunity to parent; family definition and participation is documented (Johnson et al. 2004, Nibert & Ondrejka 2005) |
1.Family is offered the opportunity to be present and/or participate in medical rounds and change of shift report |
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2.Family is offered the opportunity to be present during invasive procedures and/or resuscitative interventions |
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3.Family is supported in parenting activities to include skin-to-skin care, holding, feeding activities, dressing, bathing, diapering, singing and all infant care interactions |
The family’s level of emotional well-being and parental confidence and competence is assessed and documented weekly (Doucette & Pinelli 2004, Kaaresen et al. 2006) |
1.Mental health professionals resource families weekly |
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2.Family observations and input regarding their infant are sought by the clinical care providers and documented in the patient’s health records |
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3.Health care providers share unbiased infant information weekly with the family |
The family has access to resources and supports that assist in short term and long term parenting, decision making and parental well-being (Doucette & Pinelli 2004) |
1.Families are invited to participate in a neonatal intensive care unit family support group |
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2.Culturally sensitive family education on infant safety and infant care is available in various formats |
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3.Resources for the social, spiritual and financial needs of families are provided |