Feasibility and Acceptability of a Nurse-Led Individualized Support Program for Parents of Newborns with Congenital Heart Disease
Open Access Depositedp = .035) with a small to moderate effect size (d = 0.44). Anxiety scores significantly decreased from T0 (total 8.75, M = 1.25, SD = 0.84) to T3 (total 6.44, M = 0.92, SD = 0.72
24 (92%) reported that the WIN program helped them feel closer to their baby. Twenty parents (77%) agreed or completely agreed that the WIN program had the right amount of sessions, and 25 (96%) agreed or completely agreed that the sessions were the right duration. Forty-eight surveys collected from nurses (100%) indicated that the WIN program did not interfere with routine nursing care. Exploratory analyses demonstrated significant reductions in parent-reported stress, anxiety, and depression. A paired sample t test of the full cohort demonstrated that stress scores decreased from T0 (total 77.44, M = 3.52, SD = 0.85) to T3 (total 69.52, M = 3.16, SD = 0.78
p = .03), with a small effect size (d = 0.31). There were no significant changes to parent confidence or loneliness from T0 to T3. These findings support the feasibility and acceptability of the WIN program and provide preliminary evidence of benefit, informing the design and sample size estimation for a future, fully powered efficacy trial and underscoring the potential impact of nurse-led psychosocial support for families of newborns with congenital heart disease.
Hospitalization of a newborn with congenital heart disease in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit occurs during a vulnerable postpartum period and is associated with high parental psychological distress. Parent stress is a potentially modifiable risk factor for adverse neurodevelopmental and psychosocial outcomes, yet few inpatient interventions have been tested in this population.This phase I pilot study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the What I Need (WIN) program, a nurse-led, individualized support intervention. The WIN program included three in-person sessions that combined emotional support, strategies to strengthen the parent-infant bond, guidance on activities related to the parental role, and support for self-care practices. Feasibility benchmarks were met, with 32 parents enrolled within 5 months and 26 (81%) of enrolled parents completing all sessions. Mothers reported significantly higher levels of stress (82.5, SD = 1.26) at baseline than fathers (69.1, SD = 1.29, p = .03). Findings indicated that all 26 parents (100%) agreed or completely agreed that the WIN program helped them feel less distressed, was convenient, and was in the right location and that they understood the content, learned something new, and would refer other parents to the WIN program
p = .005) with a small effect size (d = 0.42). Depressive symptoms were also significantly decreased between T0 (total 7.11, M = 0.79, SD = 0.47) and T3 (total 5.85, M = 0.65, SD = 0.44
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