The effects of the NBO as an educational and emotional support system for parents of premature infants

Nugent, J. D., Alhaffer, D.  The effects of the NBO as an educational and emotional support system for parents of premature infants. Ab Initio International, Summer, 2006: http://www.brazelton-institute.com/abinitio2006summer/index.html

Abstract

A sample consisted of 80 practitioners working in five March of Dimes NICU Family Support sites: Greenville, South Carolina; Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital, Portland, Oregon; Trenton, New Jersey; Shands Hospital, University of Florida Medical Center and Parkland Hospital, Dallas, Texas. The participants were made up of neonatal nurses, neonatologists, physical and occupational therapists and Child Life Specialists. All participants who filled out pre-and post NBO training questionnaires. Results showed that 100% of the pediatric professionals, who were trained on the NBO across the five March of Dimes sites, were either very satisfied or generally satisfied with the training in preparing them to use the NBO in their practices with parents of preterm infants. They felt very well prepared to use the NBO in their practices. They agreed that they learned a great deal about newborn behavior and development and 91% said they learned a great deal new about how to interact with parents of premature infants. In addition, they felt very confident to address a range of clinical topics with parents. However, 59% said they anticipated difficulties in implementing their NBO into their practices due to the physical environment in the NICU not being conducive to including families, while for others the language barrier constituted an obstacle to using it with certain families.