The Single Patient Room in the NICU: Maternal and Family Effects

OBJECTIVE: To explore differences in maternal factors, including visitation and holding, among premature infants cared for in single patient rooms (SPR) compared to open-bay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). STUDY DESIGN: Eighty-one premature infants were assigned to a bed space in either the open-bay area or in a SPR upon NICU admission, based on bed space and staffing availability in each area. Parent visitation and holding were tracked through term equivalent, and parents completed a comprehensive questionnaire at discharge to describe maternal health. Additional maternal and medical factors were collected from the medical record. Differences in outcome variables were investigated using linear regression. RESULTS: No significant differences in gestational age at birth, initial medical severity, hours of intubation, or other factors that could affect the outcome were observed across room type. Significantly more hours of visitation were observed in the first two weeks of life (p=.02) and in weeks three and four (p=.02) among infants in the SPR. More NICU stress was reported by mothers in the single patient room after controlling for social support (p=.04). CONCLUSIONS: Increased parent visitation is an important benefit of the SPR, however, mothers with infants in the SPR reported more stress.