Psychological sociomedical care in neonatology

Approximately 8.8 % of all newborn infants are born before 37 weeks of gestational age and are defined as preterm infants. For preterm infants the length of the initial stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can last from weeks to months. Nowadays, medical treatment is focused on the neurological development which is affected not only by the physiological extrauterine environment but also by separation of mother and child during NICU treatment. Therefore, new care concepts encompass the optimal medical care of the infant as well as the best support for the whole family. The parents become the primary caregivers of their infant and are responsible for the development from the very beginning. Moreover, they need consultation, training and individualized discharge planning. Characteristics of structure and process of psychological sociomedical care for families of premature and ill, mature newborn children are described by a complex care model