Family integrated care: a step towards global standards in newborn health

Caring for newborns in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) has advanced greatly thanks to modern technology, but a crucial factor often remains overlooked: the role of parents. Extended hospitalisation and separation can affect both infants and families, leading to stress and long-term challenges. Family Integrated Care (FICare) is a model that makes parents active members of the healthcare team, enabling them to be the primary caregivers for their infants. This approach has been studied in several countries and shows important benefits. Newborns experience better health outcomes, families feel more confident and less stressed, and healthcare professionals report higher satisfaction. Evidence shows that FICare is safe, feasible, and beneficial in diverse settings, making it an important step towards consistent standards in newborn care worldwide.

Parents of preterm or ill newborns often face emotional stress and uncertainty during long hospital stays. Traditional care models sometimes limit their involvement, which can impact both infant development and parental well-being. Recognising this, FICare emphasises that parents are not just visitors but essential caregivers.

The reviewed studies include international experiences from Canada, China, the USA, Europe, and even Uganda, highlighting how FICare can be adapted to different health systems. While originally designed for stable preterm infants, it has now expanded to include critically ill newborns, showing that the model is flexible and broadly applicable.

Better outcomes for infants and families

Research consistently shows that newborns cared for under FICare gain weight faster, establish feeding earlier, and spend fewer days in hospital compared with standard care. Long-term benefits include improved self-regulation, motor development, and language skills. Families also benefit through reduced stress, anxiety, and post-discharge trauma. Mothers reported lower stress hormone levels and felt more confident in caring for their children, supporting smoother transitions to home life.

In addition, FICare strengthens the collaboration between parents and healthcare staff. Nurses and doctors shift from being the sole providers of care to becoming mentors and guides, enabling parents to take on responsibilities safely. Studies found that this approach does not increase risks, even for very ill infants, but instead fosters trust and stronger bonds.

Towards global implementation

The importance of implementing family-centred standards across all countries cannot be overstated. The FICare model is already being adapted in various cultural and economic contexts. A European-led consortium is working to scale up and tailor the model to both high-resource and low-resource settings, proving that it can be applied worldwide. Implementing such standards within the ESCNH framework offers a clear path to ensuring that all infants, regardless of where they are born, receive the best possible start in life.

FICare demonstrates that when families are empowered and included, outcomes improve for everyone: infants, parents, and professionals. Moving towards global standards of newborn care based on models like FICare can create more equitable and compassionate health systems. Parents should be encouraged to play an active role, and healthcare providers supported to make this collaboration a daily reality.

Paper available at: Family integrated care: State of art and future perspectives – PubMed

Full list of authors: Moreno-Sanz, B.; Alferink, M. T.; O’Brien, K.; Franck, L. S.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.17272