New app helps parents of premature babies take a greater role in childcare
New app helps parents of premature babies take a greater role in childcare
13 June 2017
The pioneering new approach is the result of an £180,000 grant to teach the parents of premature children how to wash, feed and observe their child, as well as administer medical care under the supervision of hospital staff.
The traditional care model for premature babies takes control away from the parents, which can detract from typical familial bonding and often leads to anxiety among parents and babies.
“We had feedback in the traditional care model that parents don’t feel like a parent”, said Aniko Deierl, Consultant Neonatologist at the Trust. “They feel like visitors or spectators in the neonatal unit and it’s only one or two weeks before discharge where the neonatal team says ‘now you need to get involved because you’re going home’ and that can be very scary for them.”
With this approach. parents undergo supervised training and competency assessments to ensure that they are confident in caring for their baby.
The Integrated Family Delivered Care app provides accurate medical information that parents can rely on for support. It also allows parents to record their baby’s progress and share it with others.
Although the app is the first of its kind, similar patient-delivered approaches have seen success around the world.
“A Dean from Toronto’s Mt Sinai Hospital had already done a pilot project and was in the process of doing a multicentred randomised control trial using family integrated care,” said Jay Banerjee, Neonatal Consultant at the Trust. “We got really interested, it’s a really low cost and high output programme where the patients as well as the baby can really benefit from it.”
Ian Lush, Chief Executive of the charity, said: “Imperial Health Charity is delighted to be supporting this project, which helps parents of premature babies feel less isolated and confused at what is a very stressful time. The app helps them to communicate with family and friends as their baby progresses, while the involvement in the daily care of their baby is proven to bring real benefits to the baby and parents alike.”
The grant supports two project coordinator roles, the hiring of a psychology assistant and the development and maintenance of the app. The project is currently running at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital but will soon commence at St Mary’s.
Although the app was designed with parents at the Trust’s hospitals in mind, it’s also being used around the UK as well as being endorsed by Bliss, a charity working to provide the best possible care for premature and sick babies.
The app is currently available for Apple and Android devices.
