Parental Satisfaction with the Management of Newborns in Selected Neonatal Units of Hospitals

Abstract

Introduction: Parental satisfaction is a useful indicator for assessing a child’s healthcare quality. Satisfied parent are more likely to comprehend information given and adhere with treatment and follow up plan of their children. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess parental satisfaction with the management of newborns in selected neonatal units of hospitals.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the neonatal units of the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia, Siddartha Children and Women Hospital, and Lumbini Provincial Hospital. Parents of eligible newborns were sampled purposively (n = 121). Data was collected through structured interviews and analyzed with SPSS v16. Descriptive methods were used to describe the background variables and parental satisfaction levels. The Mann-Whitney U test was utilized to find out the difference in parent satisfaction.

Results: This study found that 94.2% of parents were satisfied with the management of newborns. Parents were mostly satisfied with the identification of newborns (97.5%), care, and treatment (93.4%), while the least satisfaction was observed with parent participation (76%) and visits (74.4%). There was a significant difference in parent satisfaction based on education (p = 0.023), family socioeconomic status (p = 0.005), the current health status of the newborn (p = 0.007), and waiting time (p = 0.006).

Conclusion: High satisfaction was observed among respondents. Factors like parental education, family economics, newborn health, and ICU admission waiting time influenced parental satisfaction. Enhancing visiting time and rules, providing thorough admission orientation, and promoting parental involvement can further elevate satisfaction levels.