At Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, when we talk about perfecting care, we are talking about our patients and their families as well. In May 2014, with the generous support of a grateful family, Brenner Children’s Hospital became the first children’s hospital in North Carolina to use NICView—a secure webcam system in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that allows parents and family members to keep watch over their infant even when they can’t be on-site.
“The system has been a huge hit with our families,” said Cherrie D. Welch, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Wake Forest Baptist and medical director of Brenner Children’s nurseries. “It has proven to be a simple but deeply effective way to help us provide patient- and family-centered care. We can help care for the emotional well-being of parents, give them peace of mind and involve them when they have to be away from their newborns. Many mothers have told me that they sleep better at night being able to see their baby before they drift off to sleep.”
Making a Difference
Leigh Anne Lindsay, a mother of twins, was among the first to use the new cameras. Following the delivery of her children, her son William was able to return home, but daughter Madison had to stay in the NICU for several months because she was born with a rare birth defect. Leigh Anne said the cameras made a huge difference for her entire family.
“When my husband was in Las Vegas for work and my dad was in China, they both could watch [Madison] being fed or rocking in her swing,” she says. “As a mom, it meant a lot to have that peace of mind … to know that she was taken care of even when I couldn’t be there.”