AUTHOR=Campbell-Yeo Marsha , Bacchini Fabiana , Alcock Lynsey , Mitra Souvik , MacNeil Morgan , Mireault Amy , Beltempo Marc , Bishop Tanya , Campbell Douglas M. , Chilcott Addie , Comeau Jeannette L. , Dol Justine , Grant Amy , Gubbay Jonathon , Hughes Brianna , Hundert Amos , Inglis Darlene , Lakoff Alanna , Lalani Yasmin , Luu Thuy Mai , Morton Jenna , Narvey Michael , O’Brien Karel , Robeson Paula , Science Michelle , Shah Prakesh , Whitehead Leah 

TITLE=Practice recommendations regarding parental presence in NICUs during pandemics caused by respiratory pathogens like COVID-19

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2024.1390209

DOI=10.3389/fped.2024.1390209

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Aim</title><p>To co-create parental presence practice recommendations across Canadian NICUs during pandemics caused by respiratory pathogens such as COVID-19.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Recommendations were developed through evidence, context, Delphi and Values and Preferences methods. For Delphi 1 and 2, participants rated 50 items and 20 items respectively on a scale from 1 (very low importance) to 5 (very high). To determine consensus, evidence and context of benefits and harms were presented and discussed within the Values and Preference framework for the top-ranked items. An agreement of 80% or more was deemed consensus.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>After two Delphi rounds (<italic>n</italic> = 59 participants), 13 recommendations with the highest rated importance were identified. Consensus recommendations included 6 <italic>strong</italic> recommendations (parents as essential caregivers, providing skin-to-skin contact, direct or mothers' own expressed milk feeding, attending medical rounds, mental health and psychosocial services access, and inclusion of parent partners in pandemic response planning) and 7 <italic>conditional</italic> recommendations (providing hands-on care tasks, providing touch, two parents present at the same time, food and drink access, use of communication devices, and <italic>in-person</italic> access to medical rounds and mental health and psychosocial services).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>These recommendations can guide institutions in developing strategies for parental presence during pandemics caused by respiratory pathogens like COVID-19</p></sec>