Antenatal consultation for parents whose child may require admission to neonatal intensive care: a focus group study for media design

BACKGROUND: For parents whose child may require admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the antenatal consultation is often their first point of contact with the child’s medical team. Consultation challenges health professionals, as parents may be anxious, overwhelmed, or even exhausted by what is and what might occur. Despite consultation being a common practice, there is a paucity of research on how to support practitioners and parents. The purpose of this study was to gain insights into important relational aspects of antenatal consultation that may be used to spur the development of media to support consultation. METHODS: Focus group, as a data collection method, was employed to gather insights about antenatal consultation from a total of 50 hospital staff and 17 NICU parents from a large urban NICU program in western Canada. Qualitative content analysis was applied to the obtained materials to explicate themes that may serve as necessary understandings for media design. RESULTS: Participating hospital staff and parents expressed their desire for a good antenatal consultation with comments grouped under the following themes: supporting the building of a caring relation; sharing information in conversation; and, preparing for what is to come. CONCLUSIONS: To support the emerging relations of baby, parent, and hospital staff, a good antenatal consultation needs to convey care, understanding, and empathy; create possibilities for open and genuine conversations; and, foster the buildings of respect, confidence, and trust.