Implementation of Listening Visits with Parents of Preterm Infants in an Italian Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Purpose:To assess the feasibility of implementing Listening Visits (LV) in an Italian neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).Study Design and Methods:This feasibility implementation of LV included empathic listening and problem-solving sessions provided by a psychologist to 26 parents of hospitalized preterm newborns. Using the RE-AIM implementation framework, three facets of feasibility were assessed: reach, adoption, and implementation.Results:It is feasible to integrate LV into the NICU: 76% of families were willing to try LV (reach). Listening Visits recipients reported high satisfaction. Twelve of the 16 families (75%) received six or more LV sessions (adoption), with mothers attending more sessions. Implementation fidelity, defined here as the percentage of LV recipients that received at least four sessions, was 94% among mothers and 30% among fathers.Clinical Implications:The LV intervention for parental support during the NICU stay is feasible and deemed helpful by parents. Parents were motivated to participate even though their levels of depression, stress, and anxiety were not high. In addition to the use of standardized screening questionnaires, parental requests and clinical team indications should be included in the decision-making for the provision of parental support services. Listening Visits are among a variety of interventions specifically aimed at supporting depressed mothers of hospitalized newborns. In this study, feasibility of implementation of Listening Visits for parents of babies hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit in Pisa, Italy included empathic listening and problem-solving sessions provided by a psychologist. Participation by parents was high and they were appreciative of the interactions. Feasibilty of the Listening Visists intervention was established in this clincal setting.