Family-centred care for hospitalized preterm infants: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim To evaluate the effects of family-centred care on hospitalized preterm infants. Background With an increase in published reports on family-centred care for preterm infants, there is a need for an up-to-date review and meta-analysis of rigorously designed studies to measure the effects of family-centred care on preterm infants. Design A systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources The Cochrane Library (Issue 12, 2017), PubMed (1966 to December 2017), CINAHL (1982 to December 2017), EMBASE (1974 to December 2017), and Web of Science (1975 to December 2017) databases were searched. Review methods Relevant terms were used to search for randomized controlled trials of family-centred care versus standard care. A modified rating scale was utilized to assess studies for the degree of family-centredness of the intervention. Results Four studies involving 1026 preterm infants were included. Compared with standard care, family-centred care shortened the total length of hospital stay and length of neonatal intensive care unit stay. There was inadequate evidence to demonstrate any effects of family-centred care on infant morbidity, feeding, growth, or neurobehavioural performance. Conclusion Family-centred care is an effective and safe intervention to shorten the length of stay in the hospital and improve survival quality among hospitalized preterm infants.