Background and Aim : Birth of a premature infant can instigate emotional crisis for the parents and encounter them with a variety of needs. The aim of this study was to specify the educational needs of parents of premature infants admitted in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Materials and Methods: The study was performed by qualitative research approach. Twelve participants including 9 parents of infants in NICU, 2 nurses and 1 pediatrist were selected by purposive sampling method. Data were gathered by semi-structured interview in akbarabadi, aliasghar, firoozgar hospitals. Data were analyzed content analysis approach.

Results: Two themes emerged from data analysis which expressed educational needs of parents of premature infants admitted in NICU. These themes were: need for knowledge and information about prematurity, and need for acquiring skills for caring premature infants.

Conclusion: Most parents have not sufficient knowledge and information about premature infants and resolving these needs can help them to achieve a better sense of control over the situation. Understanding of these needs can help care team to provide better services for parents premature infants.

Keywords: Educational needs, Parents, Premature infants, Qualitative research