Introduction: Many tertiary neonatal units employ a restricted visiting policy. Webcams have previously been implemented in the neonatal unit setting in several countries.
Objectives: This study aims to determine the views from parents, physicians, and nursing staff before implementation of a webcam system.
Methods: A questionnaire-based study.
Results: There were 101 responses. Parental computer usage was 83%. The majority of parents indicated that they would use the webcam system. Parents felt that a webcam system would reduce stress. Members of the nursing staff were most concerned about privacy risks (68%), compared with parents who were confident in the security of these systems (92%, p-value < 0.001). Seventy two percent of nurses felt that a webcam system would increase the stress levels of staff as compared with less than 20% of the physicians (p-value < 0.001).
Discussion: The majority of parents who completed the questionnaire have positive attitudes toward implementation of a webcam system in the NICU. Education of health care staff is required before implementation.
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