8 • 2023 • Developmental Observer A B S T R A C T — N I D C A P T R A I N E R S M E E T I N G 2 0 2 3 DOI: 10.14434/do.v16i1.35771 Cosimo AC1, Boncompagni A1, Bianchini A1, Cipolli F1, Cuomo G1, Di Giuseppe M1, Lelli T1, Lugli L1, Muzzi V1, Paglia M1, Pezzuti L1, Sabbioni C1, Salzone F1, Sorgente MC1, Ferrari F2, Berardi A2, Bertoncelli N1 1Department of Mother's and Child's Health, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, AOU Modena – Italy, 2University of Modena and Reggio Emilia – Italy Background Preterm babies and their parents face a long and often com- plex journey in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) from admission to discharge. As the parent-baby triad is the core of family centered care, parents should be welcomed in the NICU, integrated, and involved in their baby’s care. NICU staff should support parents in recognizing their baby's needs and in ac- quiring parenting skills. This approach could help to promote and establish the bonding between parents and babies, despite obstacles due to early separation and admission to the NICU. Welcoming the parents of hospitalized babies in the NICU is always an important step in a continuous and multidisciplinary process. The nurse becomes the facilitator in the relationship within the triad. To the best of our knowledge, no studies de- scribed qualitatively structured parents’ involvement templates to be used in the NICU, but rather checklists that report the knowledge and skills that parents should acquire during the hospitalization of their baby.1,2 Welcoming parents in the NICU has a dual function: it offers parents the opportunity to learn and understand their baby’s cues and supports professionals to guide them during their journey until the discharge.3 Aims Developing a specific and structured parent involvement template has two aims. First, to standardize the approach of the NICU professionals to the care of the babies; second, to support the parents in the process of acquiring their parental skills before discharge and to measure their level of self-efficacy (Table 1). Methods The standardization of NICU professionals’ behavior is as- sessed by identifying the number of professionals who fill out the parents’ involvement template. The level of parental self-ef- ficacy is monitored through a specific tool (PMP S-E).4,5 Results The standardization of NICU professionals’ behavior reduces the disparities and promotes a family centred approach to the care of babies and families. The active involvement of parents in the care of their baby during hospitalization facilitates and promotes parental early self-efficacy before discharge, greater self-confidence in their parental skills, and a reduction in the risk of subsequent hospitalizations. Relevance to NIDCAP and Conclusion The parents’ involvement template should become a central tool of NICU care for preterm infants, and it supports the im- plementation of family-centered, NIDCAP-oriented care. Table 1. Parents’ Involvement Template Birth date GA at birth Birth weight Welcoming Check in - information - Leaflet - Locker Date first contact Parents Interaction Kangaroo Care (KC) - Duration - Clothing - Mirror - Book - Breastfeeding promotion Not done due to: - Baby’s clinical condition - Absent parents - Parents’ difficulties Date KC Parents Involvement Nappy (diaper) changing - Caregiver - Caregiver/Parent - Parent Abdomen assessment - touch - stooling - Caregiver - Caregiver/Parent - Parent Feeding - Tube - Bottle - Breast - Caregiver - Caregiver/Parent - Parent Hygiene practice - Sponging - Bath - Caregiver - Caregiver/Parent - Parent Special Needs Babies Tracheostomy - Caregiver - Caregiver/Parent - Parent Gastrostomy - Caregiver - Caregiver/Parent - Parent DISCHARGE - Self-efficacy complete - Self-efficacy incomplete Notes Parents’ Involvement Template: A Tool to Standardize Caregivers’ Approach to Parents In NICU (references on p. 9)