Reconfiguring urban environments for families of preterm babies
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Reconfiguring urban environments: the transition from a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to local communities
IRAS ID
126253
Contact name
Silvia Gullino
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Kingston University London
Research summary
This project investigates the experience of mothers of premature babies from the St Thomas’ Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) taking their babies home, examining the influences of the urban environment on their adaptation to community life.
From an academic perspective, the impact of transition from the NICU to home has been documented by many studies (see for example McKim, Kenner et al 1995). Moreover, the embodiment of places of health care and how this influences the way one performs in different places of daily life has also been investigated (Dyck, 1995; Crooks and Chouinard, 2005). Despite the insights offered by these perspectives, research on mothers with vulnerable preterm babies in urban settings has not been undertaken. Hence, the originality of this study consists in looking at the spatial impact of the transition from home to community life (e.g. playgroups, public transport or just negotiating the city on a daily basis) for a mother and her preterm baby.
The study consists of following up 20 mothers of babies born at St Thomas’ Hospital, 10 whose babies were admitted to the Neonatal Unit and 10 whose babies had no complications. The participants will be asked to complete a diary of their activity outside the home for 4 months. Then they will be interviewed in a private setting about their experience of the urban environment with their new babies. The transcribed interviews will be analysed for common themes.REC name
London - Riverside Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/0752
Date of REC Opinion
10 Jun 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion