Lessons From a Behavior Change Intervention to Improve Provider-Parent Partnerships and Care for Hospitalized Newborns and Young Children in Kenya

Abstract

We developed a provider behavior change intervention to improve communication between providers and parents of hospitalized newborns and young children aged up to 24 months that focused on orientation and emotional support for providers, coaching and emotional support for parents, and monitoring for structural change.nThe intervention influenced outcomes including having a positive association in improving providers' knowledge of respectful, responsive nurturing care, improving provider-parent communication and partnership, improving the ability of parents to provide responsive care to their newborns, and increasing parent empowerment.n The providers' understanding of parents' needs and parents' understanding of providers' working environment resulted in a pragmatic behavior change intervention promoting responsive care of hospitalized newborns and young children.