General Information Programme and texts of the Congress Conclusions

Website: http://www.fiamc.org TEXTS OF THE CONGRESS Dr Anna-Maria Guadagni, and Dr Maya El Hachem THE NON-MEDICAL ROLE OF CAREGIVERS IN A FAMILY-CENTERED NEONATAL CARE PROJECT A.M. GUADAGNI, O. DANHAIVE, M. EL HACHEM Department of Medical and Surgical Neonatology, Bambino Gesù Hospital , Rome, Italy The concept of humanization in neonatology, beyond primary patient care, requires a special emphasis on assisting parents and families. In fact, the disease course in infants can be significantly improved by the presence of parents at the bedside. Conversely, emotional stability of the parental couple is fundamental in providing support to the child. Parental specific needs of neonatal intensive care patients include stress management, skill training, care coordination, transport and ultimately, financial assistance and planning. Our medical and surgical neonatology department is a III level center where patients are referred to from all southern Italy, an area spread over more than 500 kilometers. Many of these patients have chronic conditions that lead to prolonged hospitalizations. Indeed, many families have limited income which limit their self-funded access to nearby lodging structures and prevents them from staying with the child. Our hospital provides breastfeeding mothers with a limited number of beds in collective rooms. Therefore, in order to prevent the detachment between the parents and the infant and the splitting of the parental couple, we have established a home center in the vicinity of the hospital, offering housing for families in private rooms grouped in 3 to 5 family appartments. In order to provide adequate funding, a non-profit organisation was created, named "A Help for Families", the capital of which comes from private donations received through a fund-raising program. The results observed after a two-year period include a significant improvement in patient wellness, assessed through weekly meetings between parents, psychologists, nursing and physicians, as well as greatly enhanced parental satisfaction evidenced in a hospital-wide inquiry. This initiative permitted in several instances to reduce the hospital stay by permitting parental education for early, protected discharge and home assistance.