Taking care of their baby at home but with nursing staff as support: The use of videoconferencing in providing neonatal support to parents of preterm infants

The aim was to describe the experiences of parents of preterm infants on the use of real-time videoconferencing between their home and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Ten couples participated in the study. After taking their infant home, parents had access, via video and sound in real-time, to the staff at the NICU. Data were collected by notes and interviews with the parent; thereafter a thematic content analysis was used to analyze the texts. The analysis revealed four categories: security provided by access to the staff; face-to-face supportive meetings; need for control over the use of videoconferencing; other possible uses of videoconferencing. The identified theme was ‘feeling strengthened by having a link between the home and the NICU’. Parents experienced videoconferencing as positive, which empowered them and gave them confidence in their new situation of being at home with their infant.