How do I help parents understand how their baby is doing in a simple way that is meaningful, effective and efficient?
We have found that starting off conversations with parents by asking quick check-in questions about their baby’s color stage helps parents feel empowered, and creates meaningful and purposeful conversation that is efficient and effective.
A simple 30 second question and answer helps care teams stretch every precious minute, and decreases communication burdens and lost in translation conversations.
Introducing the App
We have an app that can help us talk about your baby’s progress. Progress is rarely straightforward in the NICU and there are lots of things we are doing for your baby.
There is no right or wrong time to use the app. Try it out and see what works for you. Checking in a few times a week or once a day keeps a history of your baby’s color stages.
You can use the app before or after we talk. And, we can also go through the questions together.
Catch-Up Prompts
Have you had a chance to check-in on the app today and take a photo?
Would you like to go over any of the questions? If there were any questions you couldn’t answer, let’s talk together. (It takes time to process NICU medical information).
Do you have questions about any of the medical terms in the app or the five biomarkers areas (breathing, temperature, etc)
Tell me about your baby’s color stages today from the app?
What ‘good to know’ tip did the app give today?
I think ______ might be helpful to jot down in your journal notes.
For your edification, below are the FAQs that parents have to reference during their journey with PreeMe+You:
How do I start using PreeMe+You?
You will begin by creating an account. We then recommend you briefly familiarize yourself with the PreeMe+You Color Journey Guide and Biomarker Tutorials by going to the top left corner of the app to locate these overviews.
How should I think about the correct way to use the app?
There is no right or wrong time to use the app. Try it out and see what works for you. You can use the app before you talk to your care team or after; or ask them to go over the app with you. The app helps you harmonize conversations with various team members.
How might I go about talking about the app with my care team?
We have found that the PreeMe app empowers parents to have more meaningful conversations about their baby’s care. It helps parents and care teams to get on the same page quickly, especially when there are multiple caregivers. This way, there is less space to feel lost in translation. Your care team may ask you check-in questions around how you are using the app and what you may be discovering.
What will I spend the most time doing on the app?
Parents find it helpful to answer prompted questions about their baby’s body functions based on five key biomarkers: breathing, feeding, temperature, sleeping and growth. This is core to Preeme+You.
By logging in over time and updating information, you will be able to track your baby’s NICU journey and stay on the same page as medical teams. Clinicians might ask you questions about which stage your baby may be in and help you answer any questions that you might have for them.
You can also upload daily photos, share your baby’s snapshot with loved ones and stay engaged through ongoing journaling through the app.
What are my action items as a parent around how to best be involved with the app?
There are many ways to be involved and have agency during your baby’s development. You can check in on the app once a day or a few times per week to create a daily color stage journey, which represents your baby’s unique NICU growth and development in colors. Additionally, uploading your baby’s photo daily helps you remember your baby’s progress. Sharing your baby’s status with loved ones allows you to update those who care with just the right amount of information at ease. Finally, using the journaling function allows you to intentionally express thoughts and gratitude for yourself along the way.
Why do some questions tend to repeat themselves when I go through the app?
It is normal to see questions more than once as you learn about how your baby is developing and check in. Many people find it useful when questions stay top of mind. Using the journaling feature is another way to proactively keep track of how you are doing along the way as well.
