Extended home visits from child healthcare nurses and dental nurses: an interview study with first-time parents participating in the home visit program in southern Sweden

Introduction: This study is a part of a series of studies on a health and social care home-visit program in Sweden called Grow Safely. The program aimed to reduce health disparities in underprivileged areas. The current study evaluated home visits from Child Health Care and dental services that took place when the children were 8 months old and illuminated their parents' experiences of the home visits from both pediatric nurses and dental nurses. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 18 first-time families after they received the home visits. The interviews were analyzed using Burnard's approach to content analysis. Ethical approval from the Regional Ethical Committee in Lund, Sweden, was obtained before the study was conducted. Results: The results included three categories. The parents appreciated the home visits since both they and their baby felt comfortable and secure during the visits. They found the information about their child's development and the advice on good oral health valuable. They also valued the tailored information on how to ensure that their home was safe and secure for the child. Conclusion: The first-time parents appreciated the extended home visits when the baby was 8 months old. Further studies are needed in order to evaluate the effect of these visits on oral health.