Cent Eur J Nurs Midw 2026, 17(3):2528-2537 | DOI: 10.15452/cejnm.2026.17.0020

Family engagement in neonatal intensive care units: prospective validation of the Greek version of the FAME tool

Zoe Konstanti1, Christina Angeli1, Nektaria Zagorianakou1, Theodora Tseligka2, Mary Gouva1
1 Scientific Laboratory of Psychology & Person-Centered Care, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
2 Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

Aim: To translate, culturally adapt, and conduct a preliminary psychometric evaluation of the Greek version of the FAME (Family Engagement Measure) questionnaire.

Design: Fifty family members of patients in a neonatal intensive care unit of a university hospital participated in a prospective observational study.

Methods: The instrument’s internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and the intraclass correlation coefficient, respectively. Principal components analysis was used to examine the construct validity of the questionnaire.

Results: The FAME questionnaire demonstrated high item homogeneity (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.97 for all items and 0.85 within subscales). Test-retest reliability was very high [r = 0.97 (95% CI: 0.96–0.99), ICC = 0.98 (95% CI: 0.97–0.99)]. Exploratory principal component analysis suggested three underlying dimensions accounting for ~ 70% of total FAME variance. Families’ perceived inclusion, presence, and informational connection with the healthcare team had a strong loading on component 1 which accounted for ~ 45% of total variance.

Conclusion: The Greek version of the FAME questionnaire demonstrated promising psychometric properties, supporting its potential use as a reliable instrument for assessing family engagement in Greek neonatal intensive care settings. The tool can therefore serve both as a clinical tool for benchmarking family-centered practices and as a research instrument for evaluating family-engagement interventions in critical care.

Keywords: family engagement, measurement tool, neonatal intensive care, nursing, reliability, validation

Received: October 20, 2025; Revised: May 22, 2026; Accepted: August 21, 2026; Published: September 6, 2026  Show citation

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Konstanti Z, Angeli C, Zagorianakou N, Tseligka T, Gouva M. Family engagement in neonatal intensive care units: prospective validation of the Greek version of the FAME tool. Central European Journal of Nursing and Midwifery. 2026;17(3):2528-2537. doi: 10.15452/cejnm.2026.17.0020.
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