At the recent joint European Neonatal Societies (jENS) conference, S. Van Der Schoor (Utrecht, Netherlands) presented compelling new evidence on the clinical impact of Family Integrated Care (FIC) in neonatal units. The multicentre stepped-wedge trial evaluated how structured parental involvement influences hospital outcomes for preterm and newborn infants.

Key Findings

The study demonstrated that implementation of FIC resulted in significant improvements across several clinically relevant measures:

• Reduced length of hospital stay:
  FIC was associated with a 2-day (10%) reduction in neonatal length of stay (19 days versus 21 days), indicating more efficient recovery and discharge readiness.

• Higher rates of exclusive breastfeeding at discharge:
  Exclusive breastfeeding rates increased substantially with FIC, rising from 24% to 37%, representing a 54% relative increase. This outcome supports the growing body of evidence linking parental involvement with improved feeding success.

• Reduced need for parenteral nutrition:
  The proportion of infants requiring parenteral nutrition during hospitalisation decreased from 35% to 31%, an 11% reduction, suggesting improved feeding tolerance and gastrointestinal readiness.

Implications

These findings reinforce the importance of structured parental participation in neonatal care. Family Integrated Care not only enhances the parental experience but also delivers measurable clinical benefits for infants, including earlier discharge, improved breastfeeding outcomes, and reduced reliance on invasive nutritional support.

The study adds to a growing evidence base supporting adoption of FIC models across neonatal units to optimise short-term outcomes and potentially improve longer-term developmental trajectories.

Read the abstract here.