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Exploratory study of fathers providing Kangaroo Care in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Dong, Q. Steen, M. Wepa, Dianne Eden, A.
Dong, Q.
Steen, M.
Wepa, Dianne
Eden, A.
Publication Date
2022
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© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
Peer-Reviewed
Yes
Open Access status
openAccess
Accepted for publication
2022-05-24
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Department
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Abstract
Aim and Objectives: To explore fathers' views and experiences of providing Kangaroo Care (KC) to their baby cared for in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Kangaroo Care has been known to improve the health outcome for preterm, low birth weight and medically vulnerable term infants and achieve the optimal perinatal health wellbeing for parents and infants. Historically, mothers are considered as the dominant KC providers, whereas fathers are spectators and have been overlooked. Little is known about the fathers' perspectives in providing KC in NICUs.
Methods: Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 fathers who delivered KC to their baby when in the NICU. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematical framework. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist was followed to report this qualitative study. Findings: Fathers in this study identified they were passing a silent language of love and connecting with their baby by the act of KC in a challenging environment. Three themes emerged: ‘Positive psychological connection’, ‘Embracing father-infant Kangaroo Care’ and ‘Challenges to father-infant Kangaroo Care’.
Conclusion: The findings of this study show KC enhances the bonding and attachment between fathers and infants. The conceptualisation of the paternal role in caregiving to a newborn is evolving as a contemporary practice. Further research is warranted to confirm or refute the study findings. Policies and facilities should be modified to include father–infant KC within the fields of neonatal care. Relevance to Clinical Practice: It is important for nurses and other health professionals to support and enable fathers to give KC. Father–infant KC is recommended in neonatal care settings.
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Published version
Citation
Dong Q, Steen M, Wepa D et al (2022) Exploratory study of fathers providing Kangaroo Care in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Journal of Clinical Nursing. Accepted for Publication.
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Article