Perceptions of webcams in the neonatal intensive care unit: Here's looking at you kid!

Introduction Many tertiary neonatal units employ a restricted visiting policy. Webcams have previously been implemented in the neonatal unit setting in several countries. Objectives This study aims to determine the views from parents, physicians, and nursing staff before implementation of a webcam system. Methods A questionnaire-based study. Results There were 101 responses. Parental computer usage was 83%. The majority of parents indicated that they would use the webcam system. Parents felt that a webcam system would reduce stress. Members of the nursing staff were most concerned about privacy risks (68%), compared with parents who were confident in the security of these systems (92%, p-value < 0.001). Seventy two percent of nurses felt that a webcam system would increase the stress levels of staff as compared with less than 20% of the physicians (p-value < 0.001). Discussion The majority of parents who completed the questionnaire have positive attitudes toward implementation of a webcam system in the NICU. Education of health care staff is required before implementation.