Family-Centered Care for Newborns: From Pilot Implementation to National Scale-up in India

Abstract

Family-centered care (FCC) is a well-evidenced approach, recognized as the standard of care for newborns and children. This approach promotes a mutually beneficial partnership between health professionals and infant/young children’s families, providing an opportunity for developing trustful relations and transparency of care. Implementation experience from our newborn intensive care unit highlighted three prerequisites for successful implementation, which include adequate infrastructure and basic amenities for the primary caregiver; attitudinal change amongst healthcare providers accepting parents/family as partners in the care of the newborn; and active involvement of primary caregivers in baby care activities alongside the nurses. Healthcare providers played a crucial role in empowering parents, improving their confidence and competence to transition into the role of primary caregivers after discharge. FCC contributes to all domains of nurturing care and has relevance in newborn care and pediatric care at all levels, with scope for being expanded to the antenatal and postnatal period to promote early childhood development. With national scale-up in progress, addressing actual or perceived barriers to implementation requires context-specific adaptation and the best use of opportunities and funding support available under the national health program.