NICU redesign from open ward to private room: a longitudinal study of parent and staff perceptions.

OBJECTIVE: Assess the attitudes and perceptions of parents and healthcare providers regarding the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment while transitioning from an open ward (OW) to private-room (PR) NICU.

STUDY DESIGN: Parents and staff were surveyed 6 months before and 1 and 8 months after moving from OW to PR in a Level III NICU in 2009. Questions were scored on a 0 to 10 scale in areas of teamwork, communication, development, facility, safety and privacy.

RESULTS: In OW, parents and medical staff were satisfied with the teamwork. After 1 month in the PR, advanced practitioners reported higher scores whereas nurses reported declines in teamwork and safety but gains in other areas. Advanced practitioners' scores did not vary between surveys in the PR. Nurses were initially satisfied with the PR, but by 8 months, the scores declined. Parental satisfaction scores were consistently higher than medical staff in both settings.

CONCLUSIONS: Parental satisfaction is likely due to focus on their infant rather than facilities. In the PR, lower nursing scores are likely due to decreased interaction with peers. Research is needed to ensure that improvements gained from a PR NICU are meaningfully consistent.