An App for the NICU
Storyboard Tekst
- Time to do your cares and feed you.
- *Ring Ring*Emily, Susie's parents are on the phone for an update!
- Can you have them call back? I am about to feed another baby.
- I love keeping the parents updated when they can't be here, but it's hard when it's time for a baby to eat or when we are busy. I wish there was another way they could stay involved while we are taking care of the babies.
- Hmmm...I wonder if there is an app for that?
- In the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), parents often call the nurse for basic updates such as what the baby's weight was, how much they ate by the bottle, wet and dirty diapers, and general health updates. They want to know how their baby is doing when they cannot be there.
- Nurses are not always available to update the parents when they try to call, or it pulls nurses away from the bedside to take the phone call. Having a NICU baby is stressful for parents and can be overwhelming with medical information about their baby and gaps in communication can make this process even more stressful (Carlton, 2018).
- The nurse isn't available right now. I guess we will try again later. I hope Susie is okay.
- An application available on the parent’s mobile device accessible through the internet that is updated in real time could allow for the parent to receive updates at their convenience and help them to feel more involved in their baby’s care plan as well as relieve some of the stress from being away from their baby.
- The application for the NICU could automatically be linked to the charting system for simple things such as daily weight, intake/output, and vital signs. There could be sections for parents to leave questions or staff could leave comments and updates. This would allow nurses to stay at the bedside more giving care instead of on the phone for simple updates and the parents wouldn't always have to wait for the nurse to be available. Critical updates and changes of conditions would still be communicated by telephone by the nurse or provider as appropriate.
- There are a few NICU units that have implemented such technology with success. CHOC has a tablet-based application that uses information from the baby’s electronic medical record in an easy-to-understand format to keep families updated on their baby in a safe and timely manner (CHOC, 2021). The app is used as a supplemental tool along with more detailed conversations with parents.
- Other NICU units are trialing an app to connect with parents, bridge the communication gap, and integrate education to assist parents with understanding and participating in their baby’s care (Garfield et al., 2016).
- Let's see how Susie is doing! I wonder how much she took from her last bottle?
- Having this information available on our phones has been such a relief! We can check in on her any time we want without taking up the nurse's time and yet we still feel we can call any time if we want to talk to them.
- Now you can have your bottle, little one, and I bet your parents check to see how much you take too!
- ReferencesCarlton, K. (2018, November 26). App aims to help parents track progress of preemies. At the Forefront –UChicago Medicine. https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/pediatrics-articles/app-tested-at-comer-childrens-aims-to-help-parents-track-progress-of-nicu-preemiesCHOC. (2021, December 13). A new tool to empower CHOC NICU parents. CHOC - Children's Health. https://health.choc.org/nico-board-a-new-tool-to-empower-choc-nicu-parents/Garfield, C. F., Lee, Y. S., Kim, H. N., Rutsohn, J., Kahn, J. Y., Mustanski, B., & Mohr, D. C. (2016). Supporting parents of premature infants transitioning from the NICU to home: A pilot randomized control trial of a smartphone application. Internet Interventions, 4, 131-137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2016.05.004
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