Having a baby admitted to a hospital neonatal care unit is a stressful and confusing time for families and carers. A new online resource from the ACI’s Maternity and Neonatal Network (MNN) is designed to enhance communication in neonatal services between staff and families, and improve outcomes.
The online guide was developed by the MNN following the 2019 Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care (PICNIC) Services Report, which identified a need for enhanced communication with parents and carers, with a focus on embedding virtual care modalities in neonatal services. This includes neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and special care nurseries (SCN).
MNN Manager Amanda Justice, who worked with team members Holly Goodwin and Joanne Shiels on the project, explains how two staff workshops, a series of in-depth family interviews and a co-design workshop were key to developing this first-of-its-kind resource.
“Taking the time to learn about the challenges that staff faced in communicating and providing care helped us map out where the gaps were at each stage of the neonatal care journey," she says.
Adds Holly: “The family interviews highlighted the difference that good, or poor, communication can make to their experience and to their babies’ care.” The team were then able to link this family feedback to similar findings in the literature review as they mapped out the guide.
“As an online resource, it’s designed to be easy for staff to use and to find the specific resources they need at any time,” explains Joanne.
The result is an online guide full of advice, tools and resources that cover:
- the neonatal care journey – pre-admission, admission, in the unit and transition
- general advice on communicating with families
- guidance on working with communities, including Aboriginal, multicultural, LGBTIQ+ and disability groups
- additional resources for staff and consumers.
"She had really great care when we were working together. When I felt the care wasn’t great, it was at times the teams weren’t working well with me or keeping me included."
Keeping families connected with virtual care
Virtual care is a key element of the guide, with suggestions throughout on ways to make communication clearer; keep families and carers informed when they can’t be in the unit in person; and for effective handover with other health staff and families when a baby transitions into a new care environment.
The ACI’s Virtual Care team was included from the initial workshops through to the published resource and this will continue through the implementation stage.
“We’re looking forward to supporting the NICU and SCN staff to see the real benefits and opportunities, as we work in partnership with the local virtual care managers to embed virtual care modalities and tools into everyday routines,” says ACI's Virtual Care Stream Lead Donna Parkes.
"We need to remember that although the unit environment is our everyday, for families and carers it is very different and often overwhelming."
Effective communication in practice
Kylie Pussell, CEO of family support and advocacy organisation Miracle Babies Foundation (and a member of the MNN executive) believes the guide has the potential to make a real difference to babies and families.
“Effective and compassionate communication is a key part of assisting the family’s inclusion in their baby’s care and improving parental confidence," she says. "Parents need to feel safe to ask questions and learn about their baby’s medical needs.”
For the MNN, the next stage is to implement the guidance over the next few months. This will again be informed by the experiences and needs of the staff working in neonatal services. “We want to understand where each unit feels they need the most support and help them to apply the relevant processes and resources,” says Amanda. “Whether that’s at a particular stage of the neonatal journey, staff training in virtual care, or working with communities with specific needs.”
Explore the guide to Effective communication in neonatal services.