Spiritual care in neonatology: analysis of emergency baptisms in an Irish neonatal unit over 15 years

Characterization of Spirituality in Parents of Very Preterm Infants in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to characterize the spiritual beliefs, practices, and needs of parents of very preterm infants, those born <32 weeks of gestation, in a level-III NICU and to characterize parental perception of the spiritual support received in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

STUDY DESIGN

Within 14 days of their infants' birth, parents underwent a recorded semistructured interview. Responses were organized into unique themes using standard qualitative methods. Parents completed the Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale (SIBS) and Spiritual Needs Inventory (SNI).

RESULTS

Twenty-six parents from 17 families were interviewed and provided SIBS and SNI surveys. Interviews yielded seven major themes describing parents' spirituality and support. Most parents identified themselves as spiritual (n = 14) or sometimes spiritual (n = 2). A high SIBS score was associated with Christian religion (p = 0.007) and non-White race (p = 0.02). The SNI showed ≥80% of parents reported a "frequent" or "always" need for laughter, being with family, thinking happy thoughts, and talking about day-to-day things. The most commonly mentioned sources of spiritual support were parents' connection with a higher power through their faith (n = 12) or religious activities (n = 8). Many parents reported receiving sufficient spiritual support outside of the hospital during their unique experience in the NICU.

CONCLUSION

Parents of infants born <32 weeks of gestation in our NICU commonly self-identified themselves as spiritual. Many parents have similar spiritual needs which are often met by sources outside of the hospital.

KEY POINTS

· Parents of infants born <32 weeks of gestation in our NICU commonly self-identify as spiritual.. · Many parents of preterm infants describe their spirituality as a personal experience.. · Many parents of preterm infants have similar spiritual needs.. · Many parents of preterm infants have their spiritual needs met outside of the hospital..

Perinatal Palliative Care: Cultural, Spiritual, and Religious Considerations for Parents-What Clinicians Need to Know

For perinatal palliative care (PPC) to be truly holistic, it is imperative that clinicians are conversant in the cultural, spiritual and religious needs of parents. That cultural, spiritual and religious needs for parents should be sensitively attended to are widely touted in the PPC literature and extant protocols, however there is little guidance available to the clinician as to how to meet these needs. The objective of this review article is to report what is known about the cultural, spiritual and religious practices of parents and how this might impact neonates who are born with a life-limiting fetal diagnosis (LLFD). The following religions will be considered-Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity-in terms of what may be helpful for clinicians to consider regarding rituals and doctrine related to PPC. Data Sources include PubMed, Ovid, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and Medline from Jan 2000-June 2020 using the terms "perinatal palliative care," "perinatal hospice," "cultur^*," and "religiou^*." Inclusion criteria includes all empirical and research studies published in English that focus on the cultural and religious needs of parents who opted to continue a pregnancy in which the fetus had a life-limiting condition or had received perinatal palliative care. Gray literature from religious leaders about the Great Religions were also considered. Results from these sources contributing to the knowledge base of cultural, spiritual and religious dimensions of perinatal palliative care are considered in this paper.