Parental Stress Before and After Implementation of Family Centered Care in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of a Crowded District Level Hospital

Aim To evaluate the effects of the implementation of family-centered care (FCC) on stress in mothers of newborns admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods A prospective observational study was done on the mothers of admitted newborns (0-28 days) in the NICU. Hundred babies each were enrolled in the pre-FCC and post-FCC period from November 2017 to May 2018. During the study period, the stress level of mothers was measured using the Parental Stressor Scale (PSS)-NICU, in both pre- and post-FCC cohorts. Results PSS-NICU scores were significantly improved at discharge in mothers in both pre-FCC and post-FCC groups. In pre-FCC mothers, the mean difference at discharge in each subscale of PSS, namely, PSS-1, sights and sound: 1.197; PSS-2, infant look: 0.950; PSS-3, parental role: 1.363; and PSS-4, staff behavior: 0.742, while in the post-FCC cohort, the mean difference in scores was 1.77, 1.44, 2.64, and −1.29, respectively. Implementation of FCC led to a significant reduction in scores at discharge by almost 0.419, 0.429, and 1.071 in PSS-1, 2, and 3 scores, respectively. Conclusions Mothers encounter significant stress at the NICU admission of their babies, which decreases at discharge. Implementation of the FCC significantly reduced the maternal stress. Hence FCC should be practiced in all NICUs for better maternal experience and satisfaction.