Baptist Health Madisonville adds NicView system
NicView camera system allows virtual visitation to the NICU
Baptist Health Madisonville has recently completed installing NicView cameras at every bedside in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a project that has been taking place over the past year.
NicView is a safe, simple and secure system valued by families and clinical staff alike. A small camera mounted to the NICU bedside captures a live, secure password-protected video stream. Parents may choose whether or not they want to use the system and have exclusive control over the password, which may be distributed at their discretion to friends or family members.
With the password, virtual visits with the newborn are made possible via any internet-enabled device, including all smart phones, tablets and computers at any time from any location.
"We are excited to install NicView here," said Robert Ramey, president of Baptist Health Madisonville. "It is the perfect solution to help parents and family members continue bonding with their child, even when they can't be at the bedside."
NicView helps extend family-centered care by giving parents a virtual window to their newborns. Many of the babies in the NICU are born prematurely and are released within a few days. However, the length of stay for some on this unit can be months. While not a replacement for visiting in person, this system allows parents and extended family members 24/7 access to the new bundle of joy.
Visitation in the NICU is restricted to parents and grandparents only to help protect these little ones with compromised and developing immune systems. The camera allows siblings and other family members to begin bonding with the baby in this unique way while watching daily progress and it allows parents to check on their baby during those times that they can not be on the unit with them.
“Nurses on the unit are able to communicate back to the parents by sending notes from the baby saying that they have gained weight, had a great night or just enjoyed a bath,” said Sherry Richardson, unit director. “Having a baby in the NICU is stressful. Many times mothers need time to heal themselves and fathers have to return to work. The NicView cameras are valuable to these families because it allows them peace of mind knowing that anytime they want to, they can log on and see their child. It helps with the unease parents feel during this separation. It is the next best thing to actually being there.”