Abstract
Objectives
This scoping review aims to explore e-health interventions for parents of preterm infants, focusing on their sociopsychological well-being.
Background
Preterm birth impacts infant development, parents and families’ psychological well-being, often causing increased anxiety, depression, and guilt. E-health interventions, using digital technologies for health care communication and support, have shown potential in chronic care, but evidence in neonatal settings remains limited.
Methods
This scoping review maps studies on e-health interventions for parents of preterm infants, focusing on psychological support. Peer-reviewed articles in English were sourced from PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and others, yielding 19 studies from a total extraction of 318.
Results
These studies examined various e-health interventions, such as videoconferencing in the neonatal intensive care unit and web-based education, mainly assessing parental satisfaction, anxiety reduction, and perceived care quality. Most studies were from North America and Europe, focusing largely on mothers, highlighting a research gap on fathers and other caregivers. Parents generally welcomed e-health tools, yet the overall impact on well-being is uncertain due to limited qualitative research and lack of attention to diverse family structures.
Conclusions
e-health interventions for preterm parents care show promising results but require personalization and training to ensure effectiveness across diverse parental experiences with technology.
Implications
Further research should promote inclusive and accessible e-health interventions by addressing diverse family and parent needs and reducing barriers related to the digital divide—that is, disparities in access to technology, internet connectivity, and digital literacy.