A Concept Analysis of Family-Centered Care in the NICU

Family-centered care (FCC) has been implemented in many NICUs throughout the U.S. It is valuable in helping families whose infants require hospitalization cope with the stress, fear, and altered parenting roles that may accompany their child’s condition and hospitalization. To employ such a significant philosophy of care, nurses must understand what the FCC concept signifies. A concept analysis can often aid understanding of abstract ideas such as FCC. This article utilizes a 1995 framework for concept analysis to clarify the meaning of FCC for the neonatal nurse. Incorporating FCC into daily professional practice can enable nurses to improve the emotional and physical well- being of each family they encounter.