Abstract
Background: Families with an infant in need of intensive care most often experience a harmful separation after birth. This is due to a division of medical specialties into neonatal care and maternal care. Therefore, a couplet care intervention is implemented for mother-infant dyads in a neonatal intensive care unit. This study protocol provides a comprehensive evaluation of the intervention. The aim is to evaluate the effect and implementation of a complex couplet care intervention to promote zero separation between mother and infant. Methods: The couplet care intervention is a family-centered model of care, where treatment-requiring mother-infant dyads will be admitted together and receive couplet care by neonatal nurses. The study adheres to the framework of the Medical Research Council and will use a mixed methods embedded design comprising a quasi-experimental trial and a qualitative process evaluation. Finally, a health economic evaluation will be conducted to assess the cost-effectiveness of this complex couplet care intervention. Discussion: Separation of mother-infant dyads after birth has an adverse impact on family health and well-being. This study protocol evaluates a complex couplet care intervention. With this study, a first step is taken to help bridge the gap between current practices and a new care model to prevent the separation of mothers and their infants.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Pediatric Investigation |
Volume | 8 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages (from-to) | 139-148 |
Number of pages | 10 |
ISSN | 2574-2272 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jun 2024 |
Keywords
- Complex interventions
- Couplet care
- Family-centered care
- Neonatology
- Zero separation