Parent partners: a parent-to-parent support program in the NICU. Part II: Program implementation.

Abstract

A well-organized parent-to-parent support program can provide both support and resources to help parents deal with the stress of having a baby in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In order to implement a support program, hospital personnel must commit to the program, volunteer parents must be recruited and trained, and ongoing parent-professional collaboration must support program growth and maintenance. The Parent Partners Program offers a parent training curriculum and suggested procedures to establish a program.