فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Background: Hospitalization of a neonate in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can be a stressful event for parents. They needspecific information and communication to alleviate their stress, but these parental needs are not met by NICU staff. Exploration ofthese needs can help health professionals to provide better healthcare services.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the information and communication needs of families in neonatal end-of-lifeand bereavement in the NICU.Materials and Methods: A qualitative content analysis method was used for this study. Data were collected through single semistructuredinterviews with 24 participants. Sampling was conducted based on the purposive sampling method in five NICU environmentsin Iran. All interviews were taped and transcribed verbatim.Results: Data analysis revealed two main themes: information and communication. For information, there were two subthemes(true information about the infant’s health and true information about the infant’s death), and communication needs also developedtwo subthemes (communication with healthcare professionals and communication with the infant before, during and afterthe infant’s death).Conclusions: According to the results, parents need accurate information about the health and the death of their neonates in theNICU. They also need to communicate with healthcare professionals and their babies. Communication is regarded as a channel forobtaining information. Therefore, the healthcare team needs to address these families’ needs and attempt to fulfill their requirementsin neonatal end-of-life and bereavement in the NICU.