Updates via video keep mum and dad in the picture
Many new mums and dads suffer with separation anxiety when they have to leave their newborn baby in hospital for additional care. But a new video messaging service is allowing them to see their child even when they aren’t on the unit, as Eve Edmunds expla
Parents with babies in intensive care can now receive video updates when away from their bedside to help provide reassurance.
vCreate, a secure video messaging service, lets staff at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff record and send updates to parents when they cannot be with them.
It aims to minimise the stress and separation anxiety felt by parents.
The videos can be recorded on any device with a camera, such as a mobile phone or tablet, and stored securely on the vCreate platform.
New mum Nina Bucur received a vCreate video from her little boy Eric on Mother’s Day in March.
She said: “We have been waiting for almost 14 years to have a baby. I didn’t feel well with pain and I was having contractions so came into the hospital to be checked out.
“My baby, Eric Fabien Bucur, was born on February 18 weighing 900 grams at a gestation of 24 weeks and three days.
“The staff here are beautiful. I don’t have words to describe how I feel about the care we have received on the unit. On a scale of one to 10, I would give them a 10, definitely.
“It was hard to adjust at first because ‘I’m Eric’s mum, I know what’s best for him’ but they quickly gained my trust.
“The staff are there 24 hours a day, if anything happens they are there, through the ups and downs, always by his side, getting him better.
“It was wonderful to receive a message from Eric on Mother’s Day. The staff made a real effort to make my first Mother’s Day very special.”
Taken from vCreate’s website, another mother shared her experience of the technology and said: “It gave reassurance when times were very shaky with [my baby’s] health.
“And to top it all off, I have a collection of videos from the first five months of her life which show just how far she came. Forever thankful.”
vCreate says the service has highlighted the importance of supporting the wellbeing of parents and staff in neonatal intensive care units (NICU).
Its website states that 78% of mums and 25% of dads named separation from their baby as one of the most traumatising experiences in the unit.
Mary Glover, lead nurse for acute child health at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales in Cardiff, said: “We aim to offer the very best care and support to newborn babies and their parents or carers, and using technology like this helps us give that little extra reassurance to parents at a very difficult time.
“Many parents have other children and responsibilities, so being with their baby all the time is impossible.
“It’s been so rewarding for us to use technology to keep that bond going when it’s not possible for the whole family to be together.
“I’d like to thank SCIPS charity for funding this, it’s making a huge difference on the unit.”
The sponsor-based funding for the equipment means the service is free to the hospital units and parents.
According to vCreate, the unit staff can see when the videos are being watched for auditing purposes.
But they say the platform is safe and secure as parents are required to register for an account that is then approved by unit staff.
The videos and account are then deleted once the child is transferred or leaves the unit.
The service is accessible on any device 24 hours a day, and vCreate have said it will not have an impact on staff’s clinical duties.
The service appears to be going successfully, with vCreate’s website stating how 98% of parents said the video updates helped to reduce separation anxiety and, again, 98% of parents said they would recommend it to others.
It is also now used in 30 neonatal and paediatric units across the UK and in Australia, with more due to be launched in the near future.
Another mother shared her experience of the service. Taken from vCreate’s website she said: “Thank you for sending us these lovely videos almost daily, makes us feel comfortable when we are not with our boy, and our little girl also loves seeing these videos of her brother, we wake up and look forward to them! Staff go above and beyond!”
■ To find out more about vCreate software visit www.vcreate.tv