The fragile dialogue: communication barriers, authority and adaptive strategies in NICU parent-healthcare worker relationships

NICU communication is shaped by structural inequality, shifting authority and digital mediation. Healthcare staff broadly agree on an increased emphasis on relationships with parents compared to the past. Nonetheless, implicit and explicit challenges to professional authority often manifest in expectations that parents legitimise their involvement by demonstrating commitment through constant presence in the NICU and compliance with staff directives. Enhancing relational competence, embedding cultural mediation and institutionalising collaboration with parent associations could help reframe these dynamics into trust-based and inclusive forms of care, to the benefit of both families and healthcare workers.