"Man blir snabbt van vid det onormala" : Föräldrars upplevelse av att få byta neonatalvårdenhet

Abstract Background: Becoming a parent to a child in need of Neonatal Intensive Care can be a traumatic experience. During a time when the parents may need support, guidance and a sense of control – the family might need to relocate to a hospital away from home if the child needs highly specialized medical care at a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the parents’ experience of having to change neonatal care unit. Method: This study is carried out by a phenomenological and hermeneutic life world approach using qualitative unstructured interviews. Results: The two major themes “a sense of interaction” and “a sense of being a parent” emerge in this study along with eight sub themes. In “a sense of interaction” the parents expressed a need for communication, information and professional care. In “a sense of being a parent” the parents expressed the experience of chaos, feeling of confidence in the care given and find their role as parents. Conclusion: The parents experience a lack of communication on many different levels, such as communication between different staff members on the unit, between the home- and regional hospital as well as the communication between staff and parents. Communication involves many different aspects, such as how we interact and respond to the parents, communicate security and competence and experience and participation. It is important that the parents receive a professional conduct and the opportunity to take part in the care of their child.