Experiences of mothers with preterm babies on support services in neonatal intensive care unit at Techiman Holy Family Hospital

Abstract

Hospitalization of a preterm baby presents significant burden to parents especially the mother. This study explored the experiences of mothers of preterm babies on support services in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Techiman Holy Family Hospital. The study utilised an explorative descriptive qualitative case study design with homogenous purposive sampling of mothers of preterm babies admitted in the NICU. In-depth interviews were conducted with a semi-structured interview guide until data saturation was reached. The interviews were audio taped, transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis. The findings showed that mothers were generally provided with tangible (sleeping room, mattresses, bath rooms and toilets) and intangible support services (counselling, and health education) from nurses and doctors in the NICU. However, these support services were not adequately available to meet the needs of the mothers. The findings also showed that the few support services that were available in the unit were accessible and acceptable by mothers. Nonetheless, certain factors were identified that could positively or negatively affect effective utilization of support services including attitude of staff, experiences and skills of staff, attitude of mothers, communication and feedback and early discharge. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that the hospital management should take steps to refurbish the NICU and institute policies that allow interdisciplinary collaboration among staff such as doctors, nurses, counsellors, dieticians, social workers and health promotion officers in providing holistic care to preterm mothers.