A new study published in Children suggests that involving parents more directly in the care of their newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may reduce the need for high-dependency care and lower hospital costs. This approach could benefit babies with many conditions treated in the NICU, including rare disorders such as fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT), in which newborns may require close monitoring and specialized care.
The researchers evaluated the effects of the Family Integrated Care (FICare) model, which is designed to allow parents to be active partners in the treatment of preterm or critically ill infants. The approach encourages parents to participate in daily caregiving tasks, attend medical rounds and collaborate with healthcare teams in decision-making.
Researchers evaluated how this model was implemented at neonatal units at University Hospitals Sussex in the United Kingdom. The analysis compared data from infants treated in 2021, when the program was first introduced, with infants treated in 2024, after FICare had become part of routine care.
The study focused on infants who spent more than 20 days in the NICU. Researchers conducted both an economic evaluation and a review of clinical outcomes.
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The results showed that the overall length of NICU stay remained similar before and after the implementation of FICare, averaging about 47 days in both years. But infants treated under the FICare model spent fewer days in high-dependency care with an average of 10 days in 2024 compared with 13 days in 2021.
The amount of respiratory support required also declined. After the program was introduced, the duration of invasive ventilation dropped by about 12%, while time spent on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) decreased by roughly 26%.
These changes were associated with slightly lower hospital costs. The average cost of a NICU stay decreased from about £63,000 per infant before the program to about £59,000 after the program was in place. While the cost difference was not considered statistically significant, the researchers noted that reduced time in higher-intensity care could help hospitals use resources more efficiently.
Although the study involved a relatively small sample and more research is needed, the authors note that the findings indicate that integrating families into NICU care may support both clinical care and hospital efficiency.
“Although we were unable to demonstrate statistically significant differences in costs before and after introducing FICare, our data suggest that FICare delivery is not associated with increased resource use or costs, and, given its well-documented health benefits, it has the potential to be cost-effective,” they conclude.
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