Information and support needs of parents with premature infants : an integrative review

Abstract

International research, while mostly conducted in high-income countries, repeatedly states that parents of premature infants have increased needs and require additional information and varied support channels after the infant’s initial discharge from hospital. However, the perceived self-reported needs of parents concerned with the caregiving of premature infants during the initial time period at home after discharge are not well known. This integrative review explores all extant literature that embodies self-reported or parent-quoted perceptions, experiences, and parent testimonials related to post-discharge infant caregiving information and support needs published from January 1990 to April 2019. Generated findings from the review that reveal parents, regardless of country, consistently reported unmet information and support needs, coupled with a lack of adequate community-based and health care professional support. Current gaps in literature are identified and recommendations for future research are also addressed.