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Effectiveness of Family-Integrated Newborn Care to Improve Outcomes for Preterm and Low-birth-weight Neonates

Effectiveness of Implementing Family-Integrated Newborn Care to Improve Outcomes for Preterm and Low-birth-weight Neonates in Resource-limited Settings; Quasi-experimental Design

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07364903
Acronym
FINC
Enrollment
1020
Registered
2026-01-23
Start date
2025-12-16
Completion date
2026-06-16
Last updated
2026-01-23

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Family-centered Care, Family Integrated Newborn Care, Family Involvement/Empowerment, Intensive Care Units, Neonatal

Brief summary

The goal of this quasi-experimental study is to learn if integrating family in newborn care units as a key partner can improve the outcomes of preterm and low-birth-weight neonates. The main question\[s\] that the study aims to answer: • Does the implementation of the FINC intervention impact the neonatal outcomes for preterm and low-birth weight neonates in NCUs in resource-limited settings of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia? Researchers will compare the Length of hospital stay among preterm and low-birth-weight neonates admitted to hospitals included in the intervention groups and compared to the neonates admitted to hospitals in the control group. In the intervention groups, family of preterm and low-birth-weight neonates will be trained, mentored, and integrated into the care targeted to their neonates.

Detailed description

The World Health Organization recommends Family involvement and support in the management of preterm and low birth weight neonates. However, the body of literature on its effectiveness in low-resource settings is scanty. The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of implementing Family-Integrated Newborn Care to improve outcomes for preterm and low-birth weight Neonates in resource-limited settings in resource-limited settings of Ethiopia. A quasi-experimental design with non-equivalent comparison groups will be employed among 1020 family-neonate dyads in three hospitals with level-2 Neonatal Care Units. The intervention package will mainly consist of training and education sessions for health care providers and families supplemented by measures to ensure infection prevention in level-2 neonatal care units. The effect size of implementing Family-Integrated Newborn Care on neonatal and parental outcomes will be estimated using General Linear Models (GLM) and compared with the conventional care. Research questions are: 1. Does the implementation of the FINC intervention impact the neonatal outcomes for preterm and low-birth-weight neonates in NCUs in resource-limited settings of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia? 2. Was the uptake of implementation of the FINC intervention for preterm and low-birth-weight neonates acceptable?

Interventions

BEHAVIORALFamily Integrated Newborn Care, an intervention to integrate family in the care targeted their preterm and Low-birth weight neonates

The Family Integrated Newborn Care intervention includes undergoing 1) minor modifications in the NCU space and physical infrastructure conducive to family integration; 2) bedside training for families, and 3) provision of ten audio-visual materials in the local language (Tigrigna) demonstrating family integration in key caring activities targeted to their neonates.

BEHAVIORALStandard medical treatment

The preterm and low-birth weight neonates will receive the conventional care with no special attention to integrate the families in the care targeted to the neonates

Sponsors

Laerdal Foundation
Lead SponsorOTHER
Mekelle University
CollaboratorOTHER
Addis Ababa University
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* All neonates aged 0-28 days admitted to level-2 NCUs in the neonatal care unit, including Kangaroo Mother care ward or mothers' side ward, with conditions that require hospital stay at 48 hours; and * accompanied by at least one parent (preferably a mother) dedicated to spending up to 8 hours per day with the infant

Exclusion criteria

* Neonates with major congenital anomalies * Infants with no family member to accompany the infant, or who do not consent to spend up to 8 hours per day in the NCU * Families with confirmed physical and/or mental problems limiting their capability to communicate and to engage, or those who leave against medical advice

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Length of hospital stayThe period from the date of admission to the date of discharge is within the first 28 days of neonat's life.It refers to the duration a neonate stays in the hospital for care, starting from admission to discharge home

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Survival at dischargeStarting from date of admission to the date of discharge within the first 28 days of the neonate's lifeSurvival status of the neonate at discharge, specified as alive, dead, or referred for higher-level care, or left against medical advice.
Daily weight gainStarting from the date of admission up to the date of discharge and assessed in the first 28 days of the neonate's lifeThe net weight gain of a neonate each day (in grams/kg/day) in reference to the expected gain for the body mass
Time to initiate breastfeeding after admissionStarting from the date of admission to the date of discharge, within the first 28 days of the neonate's lifeThe time the breastfeeding of the neonate is initiated for the first time since admission
Time to initiate skin-to-skin after admissionStarting from the date of admission to the date of discharge, within the first 28 days of the neonate's lifeThe first time skin-to-skin is initiated for the neonate, since the date of admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
The number of days on AntibioticsStarting from the date of admission to the date of discharge, within the first 28 days of the neonate's lifeThe total number of days the neonate received antibiotics for being suspected or diagnosed with sepsis
Score for parental stress monitoring scaleStarting from the date of admission to the date of discharge, within the first 28 days of the neonate's lifeA score for the parental stress monitoring scale, which consists of eight items in a five-point Likert scale, with scores ranging from a lower score (1= Not stressful at all) to a higher score (5= Extremely stressful).
Discharge readiness score on the day of the dischargeStarting from the date of admission to the date of discharge, within the first 28 days of the neonate's lifeThe score for the discharge readiness scale, consisting of eight items in a five-point Likert scale, to assess parents' readiness at the time of discharge. The score level ranges from a lower score (1= Extremely low confidence) to a higher score (5= Extremely high confidence).

Countries

Ethiopia

Contacts

CONTACTZnabu Hadush Mr.Kahsay, MPH, PhD student
znabu.hadish@mu.edu.et+251 1920874140
CONTACTAraya Abrha Dr.Medhanyie, PhD
araya.medhanyie@gmail.com+251933222222
STUDY_CHAIRSiren Rettedal, MD, PhD

1. Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway 2. Department of Simulation-based learning, Stavanger University Hospital, Norway

STUDY_DIRECTORHege Prof.Ersdal, MD, PhD

hege.ersdal@safer.net

STUDY_DIRECTORDamen Hailemariam, MD, PhD

damengoog@gmail.com

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026