The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in Charlottetown has introduced a new program that enables parents to be more hands-on in the care of their pre-term babies. The initiative, named Merge, was launched at the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and aims to integrate families into the health-care team.
According to a news release from the Prince Edward Island government, the Merge program represents a new standard of care in NICUs nationwide. On average, 300 newborns are admitted to the QEH NICU each year. With this program, parents can now actively participate in their baby’s care with the support and guidance of health-care professionals. This involvement helps parents gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed for a smoother transition to home care.
Health and Wellness Minister Mark McLane emphasized the importance of the program. “Through this program, we are helping to make parents part of the health-care team while they are learning to care for their pre-term baby,” he said.
Under the new model, NICU staff and other health-care providers have received training to include families as active members of their baby’s care team. For families, this means learning to change diapers, take temperatures, feed their baby, and perform other tasks. They also participate in bedside rounds with the health-care team and document their baby’s progress and any questions in a journal.
Julie Fitzpatrick-Hopkin, a clinical social worker at the QEH NICU, noted the positive impact of the program. “The introduction of Merge into our practice has been transformative. We have always engaged parents successfully, but this program takes collaboration to new heights,” she said. “Parents can engage with our team differently, sharing their babies’ successes and worries in a supportive setting. We’ve seen parents’ confidence and engagement soar, even in the first few days. Our team has shifted from ‘doing for’ to ‘doing with’ families.”
For newborns, having their parents involved in their care from the start strengthens the parent-child bond, supports healthy brain development, stabilizes overall health, and leads to shorter hospital stays and fewer hospital visits.
