Understanding the Influence of the Work Environment on Family-Centered Care Among Nurses in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

BackgroundFamily-centered care (FCC) is a cornerstone of neonatal intensive care, but its consistent implementation depends on nurses’ ability to collaborate with families within demanding clinical settings. The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of the nursing practice environment on FCC among nurses working in governmental neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the West Bank, Palestine.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from February 1 to May 1, 2025 in 11 governmental NICUs across the West Bank. A convenience sample of 210 NICU nurses completed a self-administered questionnaire including demographic/professional characteristics, the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI), and the Family-Centered Care Questionnaire–Revised (FCCQ-R).ResultsThe overall practice environment was rated relatively high (3.7 ± 0.6). The highest PES-NWI domain was nurse foundations for quality of care (3.8 ± 0.6), while collegial nurse–physician relations (3.6 ± 0.8) was the lowest. Overall FCC was moderate (2.5 ± 0.5), with “family as the constant in the child’s life†(2.8 ± 0.7) highest and parent-to-parent support (2.4 ± 0.7) lowest. In regression analysis, age and overall practice environment were entered into the model, and practice environment was the only significant predictor of FCC (B = 0.130 and p=0.015).ConclusionNICU nurses reported a generally favorable practice environment and a moderate level of FCC. A stronger practice environment predicted higher FCC, underscoring the importance of organizational conditions for strengthening FCC implementation in Palestinian governmental NICUs.