Family-Centered Care for the Newborn

Many regulatory and professional agencies countenance the idea of patient-and family-centered care, yet lack an infrastructure able to support such care or employ health care professionals who lack the necessary education, experience, or skills. This book is a comprehensive guide to family-centered care for healthy, ill, or preterm newborns. It guides health care professionals in creating, supporting, and advancing a culture that values partnerships with families. The book is replete with practical suggestions, strategies for effectively communicating with families, and best practices for health professionals who wish to develop partnerships with families before and after childbirth.

At the core of family-centered care is the belief that family-centered care and the ability to convey its particular language is as important to newborn and family wellbeing as clinical care. The book is based on four guiding principles that include treating people with dignity and respect, providing information in ways that are useful and affirming, welcoming family participation in care and decision-making at a level chosen by the family, and collaborating with families at the bedside and beyond. The book offers strategies to promote implementation of a family-centered environment in the delivery room or NICU, practical approaches to communicating with families before and after delivery, and tips on policy review to facilitate a culture of family-centered care. It also discusses how to welcome families during interdisciplinary rounds and nurse hand-offs, and ways to support families during procedures and resuscitation.

Key Features:

• Provides a comprehensive guide to implementing family-centered care for healthy, ill, and preterm newborns
• Guides health care professionals in creating, supporting, and advancing a culture that values partnerships with families
• Offers strategies for effectively communicating with families to foster family-centered care
• Reflects on the power of language used with and about families
• Includes tips on policy review to foster and support a culture of family-centered care

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