Abstract

Objective: To assess whether Family Integrated Care (FICare) model including Family-Centered Rounds (FCR) reduces parental stress in neonatal wards. Study Design: A multicenter, stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trial was conducted in ten level II neonatal wards in The Netherlands (March 2022–December 2023). Participants included parents of 613 infants hospitalized for ≥7 days. The primary outcome was parental stress at discharge (PSS:NICU scale). Secondary outcomes included parental participation, anxiety, trauma, depression, shared decision-making, and bonding. Results: FICare significantly increased parental participation (P < 0.001) but did not reduce overall stress at discharge (FICare 61.2 vs. SNC 62.5, P = 0.21). Trauma symptoms in partners decreased (P = 0.03), and parents of transferred infants showed reduced stress (P = 0.01). Conclusion: While FICare improved parental involvement, overall stress reduction was limited, with benefits seen in reduced trauma symptoms in partners and a reduction of stress in parents of transferred infants. Trial registration: The trial has been registered at Clinical Trials.gov under registration number NCT05343403.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)797-805
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of perinatology
Volume45
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2025

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