Background All neonatal units, have implemented policies designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection. Parents of babies admitted to neonatal units have had to make adjustments to comply with such guidance and visiting restrictions. Only one parent could visit their baby at a time and they were required to wear a surgical mask while on the neonatal unit. On site parent accommodation was not available. Objectives 1. To assess parental experience on a tertiary neonatal unit during the COVID-19 pandemic. 2. To determine if the support received was deemed adequate. 3. To identify ways to improve family experiences. Methods Parents of babies who had been admitted to the neonatal unit for at least one week, were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their experience during the Covid-19 pandemic. Parents of babies receiving palliative care were excluded from the study. One questionnaire was completed by each household. The questionnaire took into account guidance from RCPCH, BAPM and the charity Bliss. Data were collected prospectively over approximately six weeks between 25/ 6/20 to 5/8/20. The data was analysed using Microsoft excel software. Differences were assessed for statistical significance using the chi square test. Results A total of 38 questionnaires were completed. Thirty four (89.5%) parents felt either quite involved or fully involved in caring for their babies (e.g. feeding, bathing, skin care, taking the temperature and changing their nappy), while four parents (10.5%) felt a little involved (p<0.05). There were 21 parents (62%) out of 34, who stated that there was no impact on the amount of time they spent giving kangaroo care and 13 parents (38%) felt it had decreased as a result of the pandemic. Most parents (70%) did not experience any effect on the time spent breast feeding. Twenty four (63%) parents expressed concern with the quality of time they were able to spend with their babies. Thirty one parents (97%) were moderately to very satisfied with the updates from the neonatal team (p< 0.05). Fifty percent of parents had no problems visiting their babies in hospital, while 50% found it difficult. Parents, generally felt they received excellent care. Concerns were expressed over the visiting restrictions and the impact of this on bonding with their babies. Some parents believed that wearing a face mask may affect their babies development. They also expressed an impact on their emotional wellbeing from the lack of shared experience with their partners and family support. They made suggestions about alternative ways of updating parents such as telephone conferencing. Conclusions Most parents felt they received excellent care but some expressed concerns about bonding with face masks identified as a particular stressor. Given the challenges of the pandemic, there is need to embrace different modalities to update parents and enhance family centered care. These methods include telephone conferencing and secure video messaging services.
The impact of COVID-19 on parental experience in a tertiary neonatal unit