Webcam use in the neonatal unit
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The impact of webcam use upon nursing workload, patient safety and parental wellbeing in the neonatal unit
IRAS ID
278547
Contact name
Katie / K Gallagher
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2020/10/15 , UCL Data Protection Study Registration
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Annually in England 100,000 babies are admitted to neonatal units (1/7 births). For parents, seeing their newborn baby unwell, the loss of expected parental roles and complex medical information delivered by large neonatal teams can lead to stress, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Many parents are unable to visit their baby as often as desired due to sibling visiting restrictions or distance from the neonatal unit. The UK response to COVID-19 inadvertently exacerbated these problems; as hospital visitors were turned away, the same rules were used for neonatal services. Contact time between parents and babies was dramatically curtailed, reducing parental ability to engage in their baby’s care and the professionals caring for them, factors known to promote parental attachment and infant neurodevelopment.
Inventive solutions to foster engagement between families and infants are vital during this time. Innovations such as webcams are designed to address such situations, allowing parents to view and stay connected to their baby. Implementation evidence is required, however, to support safe and effective patient care. Previous research highlighted concerns around potential increases in nursing workload and negative impacts upon parental wellbeing from not being able to comfort their baby or interpret what they saw.
This study will explore the impact of webcam implementation in one neonatal unit upon nursing workload, patient safety and parental wellbeing. All cots will have a webcam from which a live stream of the baby can be viewed by parents through an app. A questionnaire will explore staff and parental experiences of webcam use; an optional parental interview will explore these in more depth. An evaluation will determine webcam impact upon nursing workload. Findings will support recommendations for webcam use that support nurses and parents whilst maintaining patient safety, generating knowledge around safe and effective nursing care delivery during global pandemics and beyond.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 3
REC reference
20/WS/0155
Date of REC Opinion
8 Dec 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion