Mother–newborn couplet care and the expectations, concerns and educational needs of healthcare professionals: a qualitative study

HCPs widely support mother-newborn couplet care and emphasise the need for closer collaboration between neonatal and obstetric departments. Implementing couplet care is seen as meaningful, potentially enhancing the well-being of mothers and newborns and positively impacting HCPs' job satisfaction. Key concerns include patient safety, quality of treatment and care and the well-being of HCPs navigating their skills, psychological safety and professional boundaries. While the importance of couplet care for early closeness and connection is acknowledged, challenges arise in meeting diverse maternal and neonatal needs. Additional research, especially in highly specialised settings, is necessary to understand the complexities associated with changing the care paradigm for newborns and mothers to be cared for together and in implementing couplet care. We found focus groups useful as a tool for needs assessment and uncovering and adapting practices to address challenges in implementing couplet care.