Parents' needs and perceived gaps in communication with healthcare professionals in the neonatal (intensive) care unit: A qualitative interview study.

<bold>Objective: </bold>To explore parents' needs and perceived gaps concerning communication with healthcare professionals during their preterm infants' admission to the neonatal (intensive) care unit (NICU) after birth.<bold>Methods: </bold>Semi-structured, retrospective interviews with 20 parents of preterm infants (March 2020), admitted to a Dutch NICU (level 2-4) minimally one week, one to five years prior. The interview guide was developed using Epstein and Street's Framework for Patient-Centered Communication. Online interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Deductive and inductive thematic analysis was performed by two independent coders.<bold>Results: </bold>Communication needs and gaps emerged across four main functions of NICU communication: Building/maintaining relationships, exchanging information, (sharing) decision-making, and enabling parent self-management. Communication gaps included: lack of supportive physician communication, disregard of parents' views and agreements, missing communication about decisions, and the absence of written (discharge) information.<bold>Conclusion: </bold>This study improves our understanding and conceptualization of adequate NICU communication by revealing persisting gaps in parent-provider interaction. Also, this study provides a steppingstone for further integration of parents as equal partners in neonatal care and communication.<bold>Practice Implications: </bold>The results are relevant to practitioners in the field of neonatal and pediatric care, providing suggestions for tangible improvements in NICU care in the Netherlands and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]