Creating Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Caregiver Modules

Purpose: Evidence indicates that caregiver education has the potential to improve outcomes for newborns with prematurity and low birth weight as well as parents.1 Knowing this, March of Dimes consultants at the Medical University of South Carolina approached South Carolina Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (SCLEND) trainees to create educational video content for parents of infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). This contributes to the goal of improving competence and confidence in parents of infants in the NICU.

Description: Using a literature review and interviews with the March of Dime consultants, the following eight educational topics were chosen: tummy time6, infant massage6, breastfeeding6, mental health for NICU parents and caretakers4,6, car seat safety6, developmental milestones2,6, developmental concerns2,6, and medical concerns and medications2,3,6. These specific topics address a majority caregivers’ top reported stressors in the neonatal intensive care unit 6. The interprofessional coverage of these topics introduced caregivers to the comprehensive network of providers that would make up the family’s healthcare team.

Summary of Use: Collectively, two hours of recorded educational content was produced within six video recordings. The MUSC March of Dimes coordinators completed 5-point Likert scale surveys addressing the content and instructional quality of the videos. The scale addressed familiarity, relevancy, and comprehensibility of the topics covered, caregiver stress-levels, and caregiver skill improvement levels. Scoring and narrative feedback from these collaborators was satisfactory.
Although feedback from the March of Dimes consultants was positive, parent learning outcomes and feedback could not be assessed because Covid restrictions prevented in-person presentations. Future collaborators should be encouraged to collect these learning outcomes. In addition, the literature review identified other learning topics of interest. In the future these video recordings could be created and expand the existing video library. Lastly, a more diverse group of parents could be targeted if the video recording library was translated into Spanish and other languages.

Importance to Members: The educational videos provide a method to empower parents to ideally and safely care for their infants. By educating parents to recognize the medical, environment-
al, and therapeutic needs of their infants, prevention of additional risks and impairments may occur. Additionally, the mental health educational module teaches parents to consider their own needs and permits them to examine their emotional responses and health. These educational modules may improve the overall health outcomes for
NICU graduates as caregivers may be better positioned to foster proper medication administration, manage equipment, and execute therapeutic home programs.