Clara H Song*, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, United States Track: Research Presentation Topic: Building virtual communities and social networking applications for patients and consumers Presentation Type: Poster presentation Submission Type: Single Presentation Last modified: 2014-06-04

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Background:
An ample body of research demonstrates a high prevalence of increased stress among parents whose infants are hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Strong evidence shows that this intensified postnatal stress negatively impacts parental-infant relationship and cognitive development.

Objective:
An interactive peer-to-peer support group was created for families with infants in the NICU by utilizing the readily available social media sites. The objective is to provide parents with an online resource for emotional support and information to help them manage the stress of having a newborn hospitalized in the NICU. We hypothesize that access to “social communication” (SoCo) via a networking community and trusted aggregated educational resources will reduce the occurrence of postnatal stress, and/or increase the level of satisfaction that parents perceive during their NICU stay.

Method:
This is a prospective, observational study conducted at a regional pediatric academic center with a level IV NICU. The population of interest is parents of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, defined as those infants born with a birth weight of 1500 grams or less. The observational study design is biphasic. Baseline data is established in Phase I, where the tests will be applied to parents of VLBW infants before the online support group is offered. Phase II will follow immediately, where the online group will be offered. The online group will be offered as a private Facebook group, called Tiniest Sooners. Associated social sites were utilized to post educational resources, engage families and linked to the Facebook group such as: public Facebook page, Twitter, Pinterest, Foursquare, and Instagram. The outcomes will then be compared, using the data from Phase I as controls. Parents in both phases will be asked to complete the Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on admission (PSS: NICU-1) and upon discharge (PSS: NICU-2) from OU NICU. A parental satisfaction questionnaire will also be administered to the parents at the time of discharge.

Results:
A total 39 patients were enrolled in Phase I: 6 lost to follow-up and 33 completed all questionnaires. Phase II is currently in the enrollment process: 13 participants enrolled, 4 lost to follow-up, 2 still in the NICU. An interim analysis of a subset of Phase I participants revealed that no statistical difference was noted in PSS:NICU scores on admission or upon discharge. A complete analysis will be performed when a minimum of 30 Phase II participants are successfully enrolled and have completed all questionnaires. Results of PSS:NICU-1 versus PSS:NICU-2 will be compared within Phase 1 and Phase 2. Answers to the Parental Satisfaction Questionnaires between Phase 1 and Phase 2 respondents will be analyzed.

Conclusions:
We anticipate that SoCo and real-time access to social sites with information and networking opportunities will decrease the postnatal stress that is commonly experienced by NICU families and increase their satisfaction by enriching their general knowledge with SoCo. Ultimately, We hope to create an environment of heightened engagement and awareness and decreased stress that may ultimately augment the neurodevelopmental health of these high-risk infants.