The Importance of Effective Communication on a Neonatal Unit

Abstract

Communication is at the core of everything we do when providing high quality care to families on a neonatal unit. The way in which we communicate with parents, and the way we support and care for them during their baby’s stay in a neonatal intensive care unit can have a profound and long lasting psychological impact. Communication is not just verbal: importantly it incorporates gestures, body language, appearance and also what has not been verbalised. Effective communication includes acknowledging the role of parents who can notice subtle changes in their baby and who know their baby best. Healthcare professionals should encourage and support parental involvement, prioritising their views whilst accounting for differences in personal family situations, and observing religious, spiritual and cultural beliefs. Consideration must also be given to any language differences or complexities in appropriate comprehension (NICE, Neonatal specialist care: quality standard, London, 2016). It is essential that the treating clinical team communicate effectively both with parents and amongst themselves; this includes active listening, respecting beliefs and culture and providing appropriate time for discussions and decisions to be made, enabling a cohesiveness which is necessary in providing safe high quality care. Brown (Supporting the child and the family in paediatric palliative care, London, 2007) described the importance of effective communication pathways and relationships between professionals forming an integral component of high quality palliative care.