Traditional open bay neonatal intensive care units can be redesigned to better suit family centered care application

The current study investigated several Jordanian NICUs suitability for implementing Family Centered Care in light of its physical design. It involved direct observation of NICUs within seven Jordanian private and public hospitals in the presence of department heads. Structured interviews of 10 items were also conducted with nurses who agreed to participate in their workplace. The main outcome measures included in the interviews were unit design and regulations/policies. Descriptive statistics were employed taking into consideration comments of participants and observations by the researcher. This study asserted the role of the design in hindering the application of FCC in NICUs. More than two thirds of participants indicated unsuitability of their NICUs for FCC. However, with nurses' willingness to play their part in any proposed reformation, these units can become better equipped to apply FCC principles. Future NICUs require shifting from traditional open bay to a family centered closed unit model.