Feasibility of implementing family-integrated newborn care for hospitalised preterm and low birthweight infants in newborn care units of Ethiopia: a mixed-methods design.

objectiveTo evaluate the feasibility of implementing family-integrated newborn care (FINC) for hospitalised preterm and low birthweight infants in Ethiopia. Despite the WHO's call for family engagement in newborn care, evidence of the feasibility of implementation remains scarce.

designAn observational feasibility study employing a mixed-methods design comprising a quantitative cross-sectional survey among 157 healthcare providers (HCPs) and a qualitative Participatory Rural Appraisal.

settingThe study was conducted in 30 neonatal care units (NCUs) of hospitals in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia.

participantsHCPs who were on duty in NCUs during the data collection period were included in the study. ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics were obtained for the quantitative data using STATA V.16, while qualitative data were coded and analysed using a framework analysis approach with qualitative data analysis software (Atlas.ti V.9).

resultsIn total, 157 HCPs were enrolled with a mean (SD) age of 32 (±6.8) years. Participants scored a higher weighted mean score for implementability (0.75) and a lower mean score for adaptability (0.50). Out of the 157 HCPs, the majority perceived that FINC was technically implementable (96%), conceptually acceptable (74%) and ethically correct (88%). Furthermore, 49% perceived that integrating FINC into the existing system was technically manageable, while 52% agreed that it was expandable to other healthcare facilities. However, HCPs reported lower confidence regarding its practicality (32%), integration (31%) and adaptability (16%). NCU space (97%), number of NCU rooms (87%) and increased risk of infection (83%) were perceived as potential challenges to the feasibility of FINC. More importantly, only 33% of HCPs felt that there was an organisational demand to consider FINC in NCUs. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant variation in the mean score for acceptability and perception of additional burden between age groups (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The current study shows that FINC is conceptually acceptable, technically implementable and expandable to other settings, with weighted mean scores of 0.75, 0.72 and 0.66, respectively. However, its practicality (0.53), integration (0.52) and adaptability (0.50) could be generally constrained mainly by the poor organisational infrastructure related to NCU space and infection prevention measures. Addressing motivational, attitudinal and competency gaps of NCU HCPs, along with organisational capacity, would be required.