Abstract
Research suggests early discharge from neonatal intensive care units (NICU) as advantageous for infants, their families and health care systems. This type of intervention has rarely been described from parents' perspective, therefore the aim of this study was to describe parents' conceptions of participating in a home care programme provided by the NICU. A qualitative descriptive design inspired by phenomenography was chosen for the study. Data was collected through interviews conducted with parents (N=23) enrolled in the unit's home care programme. The programme brought out two description categories: Becoming a family and Feeling security, comprising the conceptions: Being at home, Being reunited, Getting information, Having accessibility and Having support. To feel secure at home means for these parents to have accessibility to the neonatal staff's knowledge and experiences 24 hours per day. In the hospital the parents do not feel like a family, a feeling that gradually changes when they return home with their baby. This is one of the reasons why it is so important that the infant is discharged as early as possible from the hospital.