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AIM: To describe parents' experiences with interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in neonatal pain management. BACKGROUND: Neonatal care should be based on IPC, and non-pharmacological pain-relieving methods are recommended to be used primarily that enables parental participation. However, there is a lack of knowledge about pain management on IPC from the parent's viewpoint. DESIGN: A descriptive qualitative study. METHOD: The research involved a purposive sample of parents (n = 16) whose infant had been treated at a neonatal intensive care unit in Finland. Interviews were conducted with participants from all over Finland who were recruited through the national association for premature infants. Parents discussed their experiences during semi-structured interviews which were guided by the subareas of IPC, partnership, cooperation and coordination. The data were analysed using deductive-inductive content analysis. The reporting of results followed COREQ guidelines. RESULTS: Based on the parent's experiences the partnership involved themes of understanding the neonatal pain management context, being able to influence the pain management, and feeling valued. Cooperation included themes of identifying different roles and equality. Coordination was described through the sharing of knowledge, skills and expertise, as well as feeling supported by professionals. CONCLUSION: Parental involvement on IPC should be developed through interventions that involve training around pain assessment and non-pharmacological pain-relief methods. RELEVANCE FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: Professionals involved in neonatal care should act in a goal-oriented and unified manner to promote a culture of care that allows for active parental participation. NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The research has been carried out in accordance with good scientific practice. Only the research team has been involved in the design, conduct, analysis and drafting of the manuscript.
RESUMO
PURPOSE: Describe interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in the context of pain management in neonatal intensive care based on healthcare team members' perceptions of partnership, cooperation and coordination. DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. BACKGROUND: IPC improves the quality of pain management for neonates. IPC is teamwork involving both professionals and the neonates' parents. Parents play an important role in the holistic care of their infant, which includes pain management. METHODS: Data was collected with Assessment of Interprofessional Collaboration Scale (AITCS-II) from the healthcare teams featuring representatives (n = 132) of multiple professional groups who were working in neonatal intensive care units (n = 4) in Finland. Descriptive statistical methods and the Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric tests were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The results were examined in three subscales of IPC (partnership, cooperation and coordination) on three different levels: "need to focus on developing collaborative practice", "moving towards collaboration" and "good collaboration". Participants perceived all the subscales as well as the overall level of IPC for pain management in neonatal intensive care to be at level "moving towards collaboration". CONCLUSION: Participants appreciated each other as professionals and were willing to cooperate, but they had different perceptions of parental involvement in IPC. Attention should be paid to IPC in specific contexts such as pain management.