Implementation of Family Integrated Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, University Hospitals Sussex, UK

Natalia Hounsome; Heike Rabe; Eleanor Turk; Pratyush Saha; Farid Ebrahimjee; Ramón Fernández; R H P Fernandez; Adelina Pellicer

doi:10.3390/children13020195

Implementation of Family Integrated Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, University Hospitals Sussex, UK

Bibliographic Data

ID	15713516
Authors	Natalia Hounsome (0000-0003-4460-2495, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, corresponding author), Heike Rabe (0000-0002-2047-8875, Department of Academic Paediatrics, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Brighton and University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK), Eleanor Turk (University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust), Pratyush Saha (University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust), Farid Ebrahimjee (University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust), Ramón Fernández (0000-0003-3303-8155, Department of Academic Paediatrics, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Brighton and University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK), R H P Fernandez (Brighton and Sussex Medical School), Adelina Pellicer (0000-0001-8109-4958, Hospital Universitario La Paz)
Year	2026
Volume	13
Issue	2
Pages	195-195
Publication date	2026-01-30
Open Access	Yes
Type	ARTICLE
Venue	Children (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiers	ISSN: 2227-9067 • E-ISSN: 2227-9067
Publisher	Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI	10.3390/children13020195
PMID	41749551
OpenAlex	W7126177185
Language	EN
References cited	25

Background/Objectives: Family Integrated Care (FICare) is a model of care for preterm or critically ill infants in which families are considered equal partners with clinical teams and are fully integrated into all aspects of care and decision-making. In this study, we conducted a health economics study of FICare implementation in the UK, as part of the EU-funded international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral project RISEinFamily. Methods: An economic evaluation of healthcare services and an audit of clinical outcomes for infants admitted to the Royal Sussex County Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital neonatal units in 2021 (at the start of FICare) and 2024 (when FICare was fully integrated into clinical practice) were conducted. Anonymized data on hospital admissions were downloaded from the hospital database. Infants with a duration of stay in the NICU of more than 20 days were included in the analysis. The cost of NICU stay was estimated using the Health Resource Group codes. Results : The average duration of infants' stay in NICU was similar before and after the implementation of FICare (47 days (SD 29) in 2021 and 47 days (SD 31) in 2024). However, the infants who received FICare spent fewer days in high-dependency care; on average, 10 days in 2024 and 13 days in 2021. The duration of invasive ventilation fell by 12% and the duration of CPAP by 26% after introducing FICare. The total cost per baby stay in NICU was GBP 63,279 (USD 87,021) in 2021 and GBP 59,284 (USD 75,777) in 2024. Conclusions: Although the changes did not reach statistical significance, the study suggests that FICare may be resource- and cost-saving due to reducing infants' stays in high-dependency care

Audit · Duration (music · Health care · Intensive care · Mechanical ventilation · University hospital · Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care Units · Infant Development and Preterm Care · Neonatal Respiratory Health Research

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