July 2026 FCC Community Exchange

Thank you to the 40 community members who joined us for this month’s FCC Community Exchange session where Bob Cicco, MD and Erika Mendence facilitated an open forum-style session around implementing family-centered rounds in the NICU.

Highlights:

• Institutions can include a ‘Created with Patients and Families’ seal on educational materials created in collaboration with parents

• Time and repetition establish trust and safety with families

• Understanding how families are coping at different points throughout their NICU journey is important. Asking questions like “How would you like to be included?” and “How do you like to receive information?” are crucial to ask multiple times throughout a NICU stay.

• All care plan decisions made without families warrant a conversation unless they are emergent; what happens when families aren’t present at rounds influences their presence at rounds

• Measure who is participating in rounds to identify where they can be improved

• Encourage families to write interdisciplinary notes in EPIC’s White Board function so their concerns can be discussed at rounds

• Implement psychosocial rounds with Child Life, Social Work, Patient & Family Engagement Specialist, NICU Psychologist, etc. and keep a sticky note in the baby’s chart where staff can note updates about the family’s wellbeing