Support Systems: Strategies and Implications for Hospitalized Newborns and Families

This article describes both ideological and theoretical studies of support systems available to handicapped, low-birth weight, and high-risk newborns and their families within the hospital setting. Attention is focused on the time-frame immediately following the birth of the infant. Medical, social service, and educational/ developmental factors influencing the family-unit are addressed. The article discusses extant strengths and weaknesses in each system from a parent's as well as a professional's perspective, along with models of “best practice” and an overview of implications for viable support.