Merge™ for Providers
Overview
Merge™ is an educational tool backed by clinical trials and real-world validated models of family integrated care (FICare). MergeTM can be implemented system-wide in a NICU or as continuing education for individual healthcare providers. Through the program, healthcare provider roles extend to a focus on educating and supporting parents as they gain knowledge, skills, and confidence in the care of their baby.
For individual neonatal care providers, there are two versions of Merge™ training:
Earn Continuing Nurse Education or Maintenance of Competency (MOC; RCPSC members only) credits with Merge™ training.
Merge™ End-User Training
This course is made up of practical tools and strategies to integrate families into the NICU care team, as well as the information and evidence behind the MergeTM model of FICare.
Format: eLearning; 9 modules
Continuing Education Units: 2 hours maximum
Who is it For: neonatal intensive care providers
- Nurses
- Physicians
- Allied health
- Trainees
$85 USD
Merge™ Super-User Training
This course provides foundational training, practical tools and strategies. Additionally, this course includes tools for monitoring and maintaining sustainability of the intervention. Through this training, become a leader in FICare and support colleagues as the whole team integrates parents in their infant’s neonatal care team.
Format: eLearning; 13 modules
Continuing Education Units: 4 hours maximum
Who is it for: neonatal intensive care providers
- Nurses
- Physicians
- Allied health
- Trainees
$100 USD
Tools and Strategies to Integrate Families in Neonatal Care
- Adaptable and actionable model of family integrated care
- Tools and strategies for all healthcare providers
- Educational training which enhances trusting relationships with families and enhance family satisfaction and experience in the NICU
- Providers earn Continuing Nurse Education or Maintenance of Competency (MOC; RCPSC members) credits with MergeTM eLearning
Evidence Behind it
- Reduced parental stress
- Increased parenting confidence
- Reduced infant hospital length of stay by 2.55 days
- Avoided costs for the health system
- Benzies, K. M., Aziz, K., Shah, V., Isaranuwatchai, W., Scotland, J. Larocque, J., Mrklas, K. J., Naugler, C., Stelfox, H. T., Chari, R., Soraisham, A., Akierman, A. R., Phillipos, E., Amin, H., Hoch, J., Zanoni, P., Kurilova, J., Lodha, A., and the Alberta Family Integrated Care (FICare) Team. (2020, November 20). Effectiveness of Alberta Family Integrated Care (FICare) in Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) on infant and maternal outcomes: a provincial, pragmatic, cluster randomized controlled trial. BMC Pediatrics, 20:535.
- Benzies, K., Shah, V., Aziz, K., Lodha, A., & Misfeldt, R. (2019). The health care system is making ‘too much noise’ to provide family-centred care in neonatal intensive care units: Perspectives of health care providers and hospital administrators. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 60, 44-53.
- Benzies, K. (2016). Relational communications strategies to support family centered neonatal intensive care. Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing, 30(3), 233-236.
If you are a trainee, please contact us at connect@liminality.ca for pricing