Developing eHealth in neonatal care to enhance parents' self-management

BACKGROUND

Discharge from a neonatal care unit is often experienced as a vulnerable time for parents. By communicating through digital technology, it may be possible to improve the support for parents and thereby make the transition from hospital to home less stressful.

AIM

To develop an eHealth device supporting the transition from hospital to home for parents with a preterm-born child in Sweden using participatory design.

METHOD

Employing a framework of complex interventions in health care using participatory design. Parents of preterm-born infants and professionals at a neonatal department identified specific technical requirements for an eHealth device to be developed in the context of neonatal care and neonatal home care. The prospective end-users - parents and professionals - were continuously involved in the process of designing solution prototypes through meetings, verbal and written feedback, and interviews. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Technical development was carried out with the perspectives of professionals and parents in mind, resulting in an eHealth application for computer tablets. The findings from the interviews with the parents and professionals revealed three categories: The tablets felt secure, easy to use and sometimes replaced visits to hospital and at home.

CONCLUSION

The use of participatory design to develop an eHealth device to support a safe transition from hospital to home can benefit parents, the child, the family, and professionals in neonatal care.

Intrauterine vertical SARS-CoV-2 infection: a case confirming transplacental transmission followed by divergence of the viral genome

This article includes Author Insights, a video abstract available at https://vimeo.com/bjog/authorinsights16682

Ear Acupuncture in Psychiatric Care From the Health Care Professionals' Perspective: A Phenomenographic Analysis

Ear acupuncture is used as a non-pharmacological complement in psychiatric and addiction care to reduce anxiety, depression and insomnia. The aim of this study was to describe health care professionals' perceptions of giving ear acupuncture in different psychiatric settings. Twenty-four professionals providing ear acupuncture to patients with a variety of psychiatric symptoms and/or addiction were interviewed in focus groups. Data were analyzed with a phenomenographic approach. Ear acupuncture was provided, individually or in groups, to in- and outpatients with a variety of psychiatric symptoms and/or addiction. Three descriptive categories emerged: Another tool in the toolbox, Strengthening the profession and Person-centered care. Participants perceived ear acupuncture to be an effective and safe therapeutic tool, easy to use in concert with other methods and easy to adjust to the patients' needs and requests. They perceived that their professional self-confidence increased when having this non-verbal, person-centered and non-pharmacological tool in their hands as a complement to ordinary care. Professionals perceived that patients trained their social skills while participating in acupuncture, and that the treatment helped patients to influence their subjective psychiatric health through gaining control over symptoms. Acupuncture helped professionals to build a trustful relationship and communicate with their patients, verbally and non-verbally. The finding shows ear acupuncture as a safe treatment and promising in relieving psychiatric and somatic symptoms. Acupuncture facilitates the communication with patient, emphasizing participation and shared decision-making, valuable dimensions of person-centered care. Managers' role and attitude in supporting staff needs to be explored in future research.