The Perceptions and Experiences of Parents and Families of Preterm Infants Who Participate in Family Integrated Care Programs in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: A Qualitative Systematic Review Protocol

BackgroundThe premature birth of an infant coupled with admission to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can pose complex psychosocial challenges to parents and the family unit. Measures designed to counteract the effects of restricted visitation and prolonged separation from the infant within the NICU setting have led to the development of the Family Integrated Care model; emphasis in this program is placed on the active participation of the parent alongside the healthcare team in providing direct care to the preterm infant. The aim of this systematic review is to explore the perceptions and experiences of parents and families of preterm infants who have used a Family Integrated Care program during hospitalisation in a NICU. MethodsA systematic literature search will be performed on six electronic databases (Medline, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus) to identify relevant articles which meet the a priori inclusion criteria. A hand-search of the reference lists of all articles taken to full text review will supplement the search. The search will be limited to peer-reviewed, primary research articles written in English only; nil publication date restrictions will be applied. Two independent reviewers will screen all retrieved articles, perform the full-text review, critically appraise the included articles, and extract the data. Where consensus cannot be reached, a third reviewer will be consulted. To assess the quality of included studies and the risk of bias, the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist will be used. Data will be extracted using a data extraction tool developed by the review team and piloted for use by two independent reviewers. A thematic analysis and narrative synthesis of the review findings will follow. DiscussionThis review will importantly describe the experiences of parents and families of preterm infants using a Family Integrated Care program delivered within a NICU; review findings will be used to inform the associated program protocols in a Perth (Western Australia) based NICU and be disseminated via a peer-reviewed publication. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO, Submission ID: 243818.