Evaluation of a course for neonatal fellows on providing psychosocial support to NICU families

OBJECTIVES: Families in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) experience significant psychological distress. Fellowship training requires education on mental health issues. No standardized program exists. We evaluated the impact of an online course, combining research with family perspectives, on neonatology fellow knowledge and self-efficacy when emotionally supporting NICU families. METHODS: Fellows from 20 programs completed a course covering: (1) Parent Mental Health, (2) Infant Mental Health, (3) Communication, and (4) Comprehensive Mental Health (e.g., discharge, bereavement) with pre- and post-course knowledge and self-efficacy assessments. RESULTS: Fellows (n=91) completed the course and assessments. Pre-course knowledge was similar by year of training (1(st): 66.9%; 2(nd): 67.2%; 3(rd): 67.4%). Mean knowledge and self-efficacy improved between pre- and post-course assessments regardless of training year or prior education for knowledge (d=1.2) (67.1% vs. 79.4%) and for self-efficacy (d=1.2) (4.7 vs 5.2 on 6-point Likert scale). Fellows who gained more knowledge had higher self-efficacy scores at post-test (r = .37). CONCLUSIONS: Current neonatal fellowship training under-educates on mental health. An online course improved fellow knowledge and self-efficacy. Our course may be an exemplar for others creating similar curricula. INNOVATION: An online course enriched by patient perspectives is an effective method of disseminating education around mental health.