Impact of Implementing Reach Out and Read in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

This is a pre/post quasi-interventional study with two arms. First, a baseline cohort of parent-infant dyads admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) were enrolled and surveyed at three timepoints (admission, discharge, and one-month post-discharge) to characterize baseline habits, attitudes, and barriers toward shared reading in the NICU in the absence of a shared reading program. Reach Out and Read (ROR) in the NICU, a shared reading program modified from the national ROR outpatient program to the NICU setting was then implemented. Following program implementation, a subsequent cohort of parent-infant dyads admitted to the NICU were enrolled (the "ROR" cohort) and surveyed at the same three timepoints. Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of ROR NICU to promote shared reading in the NICU were evaluated.