Evaluation of a course for neonatal fellows on providing psychosocial support to NICU families

Melissa Scala; Virginia A Marchman; LaTrice L Dowtin; Soudabeh Givrad; Tuan Nguyen; Alexa Thomson; Courtney Gao; Keira Sorrells; Sue Hall

doi:10.1016/j.pecinn.2022.100053

Evaluation of a course for neonatal fellows on providing psychosocial support to NICU families

PEC Innov. 2022 May 25:1:100053. doi: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2022.100053. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Authors

Melissa Scala¹, Virginia A Marchman², LaTrice L Dowtin³, Soudabeh Givrad⁴, Tuan Nguyen¹, Alexa Thomson⁵, Courtney Gao⁵, Keira Sorrells⁶, Sue Hall⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
² Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
³ PlayfulLeigh Psyched, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
⁵ Human Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
⁶ NICU Parent Network, Madison, MS, USA.
⁷ St John's Regional Medical Center (retired), Oxnard, CA, USA.

Abstract

Objectives: Families in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) experience significant psychological distress. Fellowship training requires education on mental health issues. No standardized program exists. We evaluated the impact of an online course, combining research with family perspectives, on neonatology fellow knowledge and self-efficacy when emotionally supporting NICU families.

Methods: Fellows from 20 programs completed a course covering: (1) Parent Mental Health, (2) Infant Mental Health, (3) Communication, and (4) Comprehensive Mental Health (e.g., discharge, bereavement) with pre- and post-course knowledge and self-efficacy assessments.

Results: Fellows (n=91) completed the course and assessments. Pre-course knowledge was similar by year of training (1^st: 66.9%; 2^nd: 67.2%; 3^rd: 67.4%). Mean knowledge and self-efficacy improved between pre- and post-course assessments regardless of training year or prior education for knowledge (d=1.2) (67.1% vs. 79.4%) and for self-efficacy (d=1.2) (4.7 vs 5.2 on 6-point Likert scale). Fellows who gained more knowledge had higher self-efficacy scores at post-test (r = .37).

Conclusions: Current neonatal fellowship training under-educates on mental health. An online course improved fellow knowledge and self-efficacy. Our course may be an exemplar for others creating similar curricula.

Innovation: An online course enriched by patient perspectives is an effective method of disseminating education around mental health.

Keywords: Communication; Digital platform; Medical education; Mental health; Neonatology.