Abstract:
An important component of professional nursing practice which expresses the relationship
among nurses/midwives and parents in the care of the neonate is a good communication
between the nurses/midwives and parents. The hospitalization of an Infant to a Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit (NICU) inevitably causes anxiety amongst parents. The communication
between nurses/midwives and parents is a critical component of the support system available
to parents which can help reduce stress among parents. The purpose of this study is to assess
nurse- parent communication among nurses/midwives in the Accra metropolis. The study took
place at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, La General Hospital and the 37 Military Hospital.
The target population for this study were all nurses working in the NICU at the study period. A
cross-sectional quantitative approach was used. A structured questionnaire based on the
construct of the Attitude, Social influence and Self-efficacy (ASE) model was used to collect
data from the nurses/midwives. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences
(SPSS Version 20.0). The overall performance on nurse-parent communication (behaviour)
was high. All the independent variable correlated positively with nurse parent communication
but on a weak level except for self-efficacy which correlated negatively and moderately. The
predictors of nurse-parent communication were number of years worked, behavioural intention
and self-efficacy. Recommendations were made based on the findings. Insight gained from this
research might help nurses in a similar setting to attain the goal of improving communication
with parents of neonates at the NICU
