Welch Emotional Connection Screen (WECS) in the NICU

NCT04922242 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: AAAT5743
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 193
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to assess knowledge about emotional connection, attitude about relational health, and efficacy of Welch Emotional Connection Screen (WECS) training in the NICU. The investigators seek to discern if through this didactic training, frontline NICU clinicians can be taught to reliably use the WECS to rate parent-child relational health. Additionally, the investigators seek to learn if there is construct and theoretical validity of the hospitalized infant preterm WECS by correlating WECS scores to physiological, behavioral and mental health markers for parent and infant.

Conditions

Premature Birth; Obstetric Labor, Premature

Keywords

nursing education; emotional connection

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Acceptance rate of NICU WECS and WECS Training: Focus Group

  Assess staff opinions of NICU WECS using focus groups. Responses will be coded utilizing a grounded theory hypothesis to find thematic evidence to assess the feasibility, utility, acceptability, and efficacy of the WECS in clinical practice.

  Up to 6 months

• Acceptance rate of NICU WECS and WECS Training: Staff Survey

  Assess staff opinions of NICU WECS using a survey. Responses will be coded utilizing a grounded theory hypothesis to find thematic evidence to assess the feasibility, utility, acceptability, and efficacy of the WECS in clinical practice.

  Up to 6 months

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Intra-Class Correlations of Welch Emotional Connection Screen (WECS) NICU Scores

  Up to 6 months

• Correlation of WECS scores with Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale Score

  Near discharge (up to 40 weeks)

• Correlation of WECS scores with STAI Score

  Near discharge (up to 40 weeks)

• Correlation of WECS scores with CES-D

  Near discharge (up to 40 weeks)

• Parent Stressor Scale (PSS): Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

  Near discharge (up to 40 weeks)

Other Outcomes (4)

• Correlation of WECS scores with LOS

  Up to 1 year

• Correlation of WECS scores with Days on Respiratory Support

  Up to 1 year

• Correlation of WECS scores with Days to Full Feeds

  Up to one year

Study Arms (2)

Population 1: NICU Study Staff

EXPERIMENTAL

Interdisciplinary Professional Clinical Staff who are employed to work as a nurse, therapist, social worker or physician in the NICU.

Other: NICU WECS Training

Population 2: Mother-infant dyads in NICU

EXPERIMENTAL

Parent and infant dyads admitted to a NICU for over 72 hours.

Behavioral: Welch Emotional Connection Screen for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Interventions

Welch Emotional Connection Screen for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit BEHAVIORAL

The Welch Emotional Connection Screen (WECS) is an investigational developmental screening tool, developed to rate the quality of the emotional connection that formed between mother and child. The screen is administered in 2-3 minutes by observing a mother and child interact, and requires the rater to critically assess 4 sub-domains of emotional connection. The NICU WECS is a clinical tool adapted for use with neonates in the NICU. Reliability of NICU staff WECS scoring will be calculated via intra-class correlations with key scores. The WECS is scored on intervals of 0.5, with a minimum of 1 (rarely--low level of connection) and maximum of 3 (mostly--high connection). Scores are used to determine the level of need for intervention.

Population 2: Mother-infant dyads in NICU

NICU WECS Training OTHER

WECS Training is an educational module consisting of an introduction of the concepts of emotional connection and autonomic co-regulation as studied by The Nurture Science Program, as well as an illustration of how these experiential constructs differ from traditional care plans that focus on educating parents to encourage "bonding" as opposed to autonomic emotional connection within the NICU. An introduction to the domains of the WECS screen as well as illustrations of these domains through video will augment the training designed for NICU staff.

Population 1: NICU Study Staff

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Population 1: Consenting Interdisciplinary Professional Clinical Staff who are employed to work in the NICU as a:
• Nurse
• Therapist
• Social worker
• Physician

You may not qualify if:

• Both populations: Refusal to consent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Columbia University: lead
• Einhorn Collaborative: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

The Valley Hospital

Ridgewood, New Jersey, 07450, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Premature Birth; Obstetric Labor, Premature

Interventions

Intensive Care Units, Neonatal

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Obstetric Labor Complications; Pregnancy Complications; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Urogenital Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; Intensive Care Units; Hospital Units; Health Facilities; Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services

Study Officials

• Martha G. Welch, MD

  Professor of Psychiatry

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Cross-sectional model

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 28, 2021
• First Posted: June 10, 2021
• Study Start: April 17, 2021
• Primary Completion: February 13, 2023
• Study Completion: February 13, 2023
• Last Updated: November 21, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)