Nurses' understanding about the delivery of family centred care in the neonatal unit

AimTo study neonatal nurses' attitudes to the following themes within the context of Family Centred Care (FCC): general understanding, training and experience.MethodA qualitative approach was used. Audiotaped interviews were conducted with seven nurses with varied experience of delivering FCC.ResultsNurses identified key areas related to the delivery of FCC. They also described a lack of confidence, associated with less experience, as having an impact on the capacity to provide it. None of the nurses interviewed had received specific training with regard to this area of practice and all felt more could be done to improve nurse education in this area.ConclusionThis study highlights deficiencies in the training and experience of nurses in the delivery of FCC. Further research and development within this field is required with the aim of improving educational opportunities and resources for both junior and senior staff.