Impact of visitation restrictions in neonatal intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic on parents in northern Hokkaido, Japan.

Aim: Medical institutions restricted visitation to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 NICU visitor restrictions on parents.

Methods: We conducted a questionnaire of 378 parents of infants who were hospitalised for more than 1 week at two NICUs in our area and discharged between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2022. While the visiting rules for NICUs during this period varied depending on the phase of the COVID-19 epidemic, generally, only parents were allowed to visit the NICUs for a few hours daily.

Results: A total of 157 parents (A University Hospital (AMUH), n = 79; AK General Hospital (AKGH), n = 78) responded to the survey (41.3% response rate), with 40% stating that their emotions towards their infants were affected by restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents' feelings towards their infants were influenced by mode of delivery, parity, duration of hospitalisation and opportunities to visit the NICU. More than 70% of respondents felt stressed due to COVID-19 restrictions, and anxiety and emotional stress related to visitor restrictions were significantly affected by the number and duration of visits and allowability of family member visits. Parents felt that the restrictions had a negative impact on breastfeeding, overall infant care and infant-family bonding.

Conclusion: As parents felt an impact on the bond with their infant during visitation restrictions, it is essential for facilities to implement measures to protect infant-family bonding during potential future pandemics.