The Role of Social Workers in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit - Views of a Neonatologist

Protracted intensive care has meant survival of an increased number of very small infants and has, in turn, imposed severe stresses on their parents. The need for social and emotional support for parents is an essential part of total neonatal care. Temperamentally and professionally, no one is better equipped for this task than the neonatal (or perinatal) social worker.