Background: For parents whose child may require admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the antenatal\nconsultation is often their first point of contact with the child�s medical team. Consultation challenges health\nprofessionals, as parents may be anxious, overwhelmed, or even exhausted by what is and what might occur.\nDespite consultation being a common practice, there is a paucity of research on how to support practitioners and\nparents. The purpose of this study was to gain insights into important relational aspects of antenatal consultation\nthat may be used to spur the development of media to support consultation.\nMethods: Focus group, as a data collection method, was employed to gather insights about antenatal consultation\nfrom a total of 50 hospital staff and 17 NICU parents from a large urban NICU program in western Canada.\nQualitative content analysis was applied to the obtained materials to explicate themes that may serve as\nnecessary understandings for media design.\nResults: Participating hospital staff and parents expressed their desire for a good antenatal consultation with\ncomments grouped under the following themes: supporting the building of a caring relation; sharing information in\nconversation; and, preparing for what is to come.\nConclusions: To support the emerging relations of baby, parent, and hospital staff, a good antenatal consultation\nneeds to convey care, understanding, and empathy; create possibilities for open and genuine conversations; and, foster\nthe buildings of respect, confidence, and trust.
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