PARENTAL EXPERIENCE OF CARING FOR PREMATURE INFANTS IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT.

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Abstract

Objective: To describe the parental experience of caring for premature infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Material and Method: Qualitative, descriptive research, conducted with 19 parents of premature children discharged from the NICU in a city in southern Brazil. Semi-structured online interviews were performed between September 2021 and March 2022. The sample was delimited by theoretical saturation. WebQDA Software and thematic categorical analysis were used to organize the data. Results: Three categories emerged: Becoming parents prematurely: refers to the emotional repercussions resulting from premature birth and the child's hospitalization; Parental challenges experienced in the NICU: describes the difficulties identified by parents, related to the culture of care in the NICU, the family's socioeconomic
conditions, and changes in their daily routine due to the child's hospitalization; Facilitators of the parental experience in the NICU: highlights the importance of the family's social support network, as the main strength for parents to positively transform their experience in the NICU. Conclusions: Care in the context of the NICU becomes challenging in different aspects for parents, emphasizing the importance of health professionals developing strategies to address the factors that can either facilitate or hinder parental experience, aiming to strengthen the protective processes and turning risk determinants into opportunities to enhance the care provided to families.