Developing a Trauma-Informed Family-Centered Care Toolkit for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurses

Background: The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may be a stressful, traumatizing, or re-traumatizing experience for parents of critically ill newborns and infants. Problem: NICU nurses and other healthcare providers may not realize their impact on parental stress responses as neonatal care providers may not have adequate training to support adults experiencing acute emotional distress. Methods: Strong evidence supports using family-centered care (FCC) in the NICU to promote bonding and parental involvement in caring for their infants. This manuscript aims to review current research and literature on trauma-informed care training and its impact on nurse confidence in managing dysregulated adults, develop an evidence-based trauma-informed tool, and provide knowledge and skills for NICU nurses and healthcare providers to support these families in crisis better. Interventions: Adding trauma-informed care (TIC) principles to existing FCC interventions may create psychological safety and support for families experiencing acute stress response to their infant’s hospitalization. Results: The integrated review yielded good quality evidence to support training effectiveness to increase the confidence and knowledge of nurses and other disciplines to use TIC when caring for dysregulated adults. Evidence is limited in non-mental health settings. Conclusions: While further studies of TIC in non-mental health environments are needed, FCC trauma-informed practices may reduce parental anxiety and trauma responses while creating a safe environment that encourages effective communication between NICU nurses and parents.