Feasibility and Acceptability of an Integrated Family Care Model to Improve Newborn Care in Kenya (FICare Kenya)

This project assesses whether an Integrated Family Care model can be adapted to improve newborn care in Kenya. FICare brings parents and families into the care of small and sick newborns as active partners alongside clinical staff, an approach shown to improve outcomes but not yet widely tested in this setting. Led by investigators at Aga Khan University in Nairobi in partnership with the University of Michigan, the team examines the feasibility and acceptability of the model, drawing on Kenyan expertise in newborn and child health and Michigan strengths in qualitative methodology and implementation science. Through interviews and collaborative design, the project evaluates how families, providers and health systems experience the model, generating the evidence needed to plan a larger study and strengthen family-centered newborn care.