Neonatal Chair for Parental Care and an Improved Work Environment
Daily Challenges
Many recliners are not intended for long periods of use even though it is important for parents and children to have skin contact.
Members of staff can end up in poor working positions when helping or guiding parents who are sitting on a recliner with their child.
Parents need help when sitting on a recliner for long periods of time.
When the child is in an incubator, it is difficult for parents to see and touch their child due to the height difference between the incubator and the recliner.
Hospitals do not have the space for a parental bed next to each child in an incubator.
Betty Nørgaard, Quality Coordinator, on the VELA Neonatal Chair:
This hospital chair for patients allows parents to be more independent. Previously, they would need help placing a pillow under one arm. Then they would need help reaching the mother’s milk. When sitting in the VELA chair, parents can adjust the position themselves if they need to. Maybe they want to lean back a little further or put their legs up. It means a lot to the parents to be able to do the small things themselves while sitting with their child.
The work environment is improved for our staff, as the chair can easily be raised and lowered using a remote control. This means that the staff no longer have to work hunched over or stand in uncomfortable positions when showing or helping parents feed their baby, which was often the case with our previous recliners.
The chair looks homely and as the parents are often at the hospital for a long time, it means a lot to them if the environment feels more like home.
The chair is comfortable, so the parents can sit with their child for long periods of time without experiencing discomfort.
Information
Reference: Betty Nørgaard, Quality Coordinator, Postdoc
Department: Neonatology, Kolding Sygehus Hospital
About: The Department of Neonatology is a specialised department where premature children and newborn children with illnesses are cared for and treated. Neonatology departments focus on the development of the children admitted and the wellbeing of the families in general.