Parents more involved thanks to the NeoCare app

When your child is (unexpectedly) born too early, too light or ill, you as parents end up in an uncertain, exciting time. From now on, parents whose child is admitted to St. Antonius Birth Care can use the NeoCare app to care for their newborn baby.The app offers parents the information and involvement they need,”says Marijke Steijn, neonatology nurse specialist.

Step-by-step information and always at hand

When a baby is admitted to a neonatology department, there is a lot at stake for parents. Parents can look up all the information and read it again at the moment it suits parents. Step-by-step we take parents digitally through the app in the information and knowledge that is important to them at that time, for example about examinations, syndromes, treatments and concepts. Parents can look up all the information and read it again at the moment it suits parents. In this way they can prepare well for the visit and the conversations with the doctor and ask specific questions or perform certain actions themselves.

Involve parents and the environment more in care

“St. Antonius Birth Care believes it is important that parents participate as much as possible in the care of their newborn child and spend time with their baby,” says Marijke. “As a parent(s), you can stay with your child in one of our neosuites for as long as necessary. We encourage our care professionals parents as much as possible to take care of their child themselves.” Therefore, in the NeoCare app, parents can keep track of weight, nutrition and breast milk and become more involved in the care of their child. Parents can also add their own notes, photos and messages from the department. This immediately creates a beautiful digital diary for later.

Also, parents can decide to share the information and notes with family and friends. The app also allows family members to empathize with the new parents and their baby at a time when they can use all the support. The family can be involved and support the parents, without them having to explain everything over and over again.

Messages from the healthcare provider

Certainly when the admission lasts a little longer, it is difficult to combine presence on the ward with work or caring for the family. For the moments when the parent cannot be present at the ward for a while, it is possible for caregivers to send messages and photos and videos of special moments to the parents via NNeoCare.

Experiences show that parents are very enthusiastic about the app, especially if they can’t be in the hospital with their child for a while, which is always difficult. “How nice is it when you receive a beautiful photo and a message about your child”, one of the parents responds.

NeoCare supports Family Centered Care

St. Antonius Birth Care works according to the Family Centered Care (FCC) vision. This means that the family is central to our care. The NeoCare app therefore supports the Family Integrated Care (FICare) care model. FICAre is a more far-reaching way of parental participation than in the Family Centered Care care model, where good information or even education is important. The St. Antonius Hospital, in view of our extensive care provision and experience with the FCC care model, is involved as an expert hospital in the NeoPartner study in preparation for the implementation of FCC The implementation of the NeoCare application in St. Antonius Birth Care is an important part of this.