Lethbridge's Chinook Regional Hospital emergency department entrance. (Photo: LNN)

By Sarah Jones/LethbridgeNewsNOW

Length of stays for babies in Alberta NICUs falling under new system

Apr 7, 2023 | 3:00 PM

EDMONTON – Alberta Health Services (AHS) has implemented a new model of care in all 14 neonatal intensive care units (NICU) across the province.

AHS said Family Integrated Care (FICare) has helped parents work alongside a NICU healthcare teams to build the knowledge, skills and confidence to parent their babies at home.

Nurses support parents with skills such as skin-to-skin care, changing diapers and clothes, participating in bedside rounds, bathing, weighing, feeding, taking temperatures, and providing comfort during treatments and procedures.

In doing so, AHS reports that fewer critically ill newborns have required emergency department (ED) visits and hospital readmission within seven days of going home. Since implementation of FICare in 2019, ED visits have dropped by 26 per cent and hospital readmission are down 37 per cent.

According to AHS, the average length of stay in the NICU has been reduced by half a day, enabling babies to go home sooner.

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Dr. Deborah McNeil, Scientific Director of AHS’ Maternal, Newborn, Child and Youth Strategic Clinical Network, who played a role in the development of FICare, detailed that adding early involvement in care has many benefits to preterm babies.

“Having a baby in the NICU can be a stressful experience for parents and learning to care for a preterm baby both in the hospital and at home requires extensive support over time during the hospitalization,” said McNeil. “Nurses have moved into an educational role and support parents who want to be part of their baby’s NICU journey when they are ready.”

She went on, “We’ve always had excellent care in the NICUs, but this model enables healthcare teams to integrate families within the healthcare team.”

Approximately 50,000 babies were born in Alberta in 2021. AHS said 8.8 per cent of those babies, about 4,400, were born preterm and required care in a NICU. A stay in the NICU can range from two to nearly 100 days.

Alberta Health Services estimates that the reductions in NICU length of stay have saved the health system about $1.2 million over a two-year period.

Alberta Minister of Health, Jason Copping, said, “Connecting families with healthcare providers creates a well-rounded foundation of care for our youngest patients in NICUs across Alberta. As parents get to participate in their baby’s care, we can create a seamless transition for families upon discharge.”

To learn more about Alberta Family Integrated Care go to the Alberta Health Services website.