Parents’ experiences of family health conversations after having a child in need of neonatal intensive care

BACKGROUND When a newborn child requires neonatal intensive care, it is often the beginning of a journey of stress and worry for the parents. Such situations could cause difficulties in problem-solving and communication within the family and result in decreased family functioning. Studies have shown that nurse-led interventions in the form of Family Health Conversations promote family's well-being and functioning and strengthen their relationships. However, this model has not previous been used and evaluated with families who have a child in need of neonatal intensive care. AIM To describe parents' experiences of participating in Family Health Conversations after having a child in need of neonatal intensive care. METHOD Family interviews were conducted with 12 families from three neonatal intensive care units in southern Sweden, six months after a Family Health Conversations intervention. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. FINDINGS The parents experienced the Family Health Conversations as an opportunity to co-create a comprehensive picture of what had happened after their child was born. Parents shared their experiences of the Family Health Conversations in terms of feeling validated and strengthened as individuals, as a couple, and as a family. They found the conversations to be supportive to their well-being and to processing experiences and becoming equipped for the future. The parents reported that it was valuable to talk with conversational leaders who had knowledge in neonatal care and who thereby understood what the parents were talking about. This provided a different type of support compared with other conversational contacts. CONCLUSION These results highlight the importance of having an early onset of family conversations in order to help the parents to cope with their challenges and improve their well-being.