An Effective Communication Initiative: Using parents' experiences to improve the delivery of difficult news in the NICU

ObjectiveEnhance the quality of communication between parents and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) staff.MethodsParents of preterm infants and staff designed and implemented in-service training regarding the parent perspective on the impact of poor communication in the NICU. Gaps in the experience/needs of staff around delivering bad news were examined using a questionnaire and addressed by improving unit procedures.ResultsMost NICU staff, regardless of their role, years in healthcare, and experience/confidence with delivering difficult news to families, indicated a need for more support and training. Improvements to unit procedures included holding family meetings soon after an infant's birth, including all members of the infant's healthcare team in family meetings, providing clinical fellows with training on delivering bad news, and documenting discussions in family meetings for everyone's reference.ConclusionIncorporation of parent experiences of communication in the NICU is effective in addressing challenges associated with delivering difficult news.