Parents of babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Richmond Hospital can now watch them virtually.
Cameras were set up in June as a pilot project to allow parents, whose newborns needed to stay in the hospital after birth, to watch them 24/7 from home – and to let relatives across the globe see them as well.
Since launching, the neonatal unit has connected 40 babies with their families – with more than 2,500 unique visitors from as far as Colombia, the Philippines and Ireland.
And a survey of families who used the technology showed 100 per cent satisfaction, decreasing their anxiety and helping them bond with their baby.
The hospital has decided to keep the cameras permanently given the positive feedback.
Jill Schulmeister, Women’s and Children's program manager pointed out that no parent expects to leave the hospital without their baby but sometimes it’s necessary for babies who need specialized care.
“Seeing the emotional toll this separation has on parents, the NICU team wanted to find a way to keep families and babies connected, even when they are not physically together,” Schulmeister said.
During certain stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, only immediate family was allowed to visit the NICU as these infants were “very vulnerable to diseases,” she explained.
“This was the impetus for us to explore alternative ways of enabling families to connect remotely,” Schulmeister said. “A simple camera system has brought so much joy and has reduced anxiety among parents who now have peace of mind that their infant is being cared for while they are away from the hospital.”
When her twins were born at Richmond Hospital and needed care in the NICU, Preethi Krishnan accessed the streaming camera for their three-week stay.
“As a parent, it gave our family significant comfort and reassurance to be able to check in on our babies while we were not by their bedsides,” Krishnan said. “As I look back on this challenging time for our family, I am so grateful that this option was available to us and will be an option for other families with premature babies.”
This initiative launched using a donation from the Richmond Hospital Foundation.
