EFFECT OF FAMILY-CENTERED CARE ON FAMILY FUNCTION OF PRETERM NEWBORNS HOSPITALIZED IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (NICU)

Background & Aims: The birth of a premature baby and his/her hospitalization at birth, affects on family function. This study aimed to identify the effect of family-centered care on family function of preterm newborns hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Materials & Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, Parents of 60 premature infants with fetal age between 30 and 36 weeks hospitalized in the NICU of Hafez Hospital in Shiraz were selected by convenience sampling method. They then were randomly assigned to the control and experimental groups (30 parents in each group).   In the experimental group, family-centered care was performed on the parents of premature infants admitted in four steps, before the seventh day of hospitalization with the presence of the researcher and the family next to the infant. Family function was measured using the Family Assessment Device (FAD). The data was analyzed by SPSS (v.24) using descriptive and statistics tests such as t-test and ANCOVA. Results: The mean score of family function of mothers in the pre-intervention stage in the control group was 186.20 ±7.48 and in the experimental group was 188.43±5.96. After the intervention, the mean score of family function of parents in the control group was 185.73± 7.13 and in the experimental group was 181.26±8.83, which had a significant decrease compared to them before the intervention, showing improvement. The results of univariate analysis of covariances (ANCOVA) showed that family-centered care had an effect on the test group and improved their family performance. Conclusion: Implementing family-centered care by emphasizing the presence of family members, especially the father next to the mother leads to improving the family function of premature infant more than the usual care methods. These interventions are cost-effective, feasible, practical, and effective, and the effective participation of parents in the care of the baby will have positive effects on the process of his/her recovery