Paternal participation in the neonatal intensive care unit according to the conception of nursing team

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: to identify the view adopted by the nursing team regarding the father's participation in the neonatal intensive care unit. METHOD: An exploratory approach of qualitative nature, through an open questionnaire, and eventually, submitted to Bardim's content analysis. RESULTS: the analysis of the survey led to the construction of 3 categories: A discrepancy in recognizing the singularity of the father in the father-mother-child trinomial; the reception and insertion of the father in the context of NICU care with the newborn; creation of family bond and assistance in the clinical development of the NB. CONCLUSION: Nursing recognizes the father figure as a provider of benefits to the NB and implements practices that promote their embracement and closeness with the child. However, the team still has a lagged view on the true role of fatherhood in the family context, contributing to the creation of a social stigma of men as an adjunct.