Mothers who express gratitude to doctors and nurses caring for critically ill babies could be inadvertently boosting the level of care their children receive, a small study suggests.  

The Israeli researchers say this is because the interaction, even if it’s just a little praise, increases communication between the care team and the parents.  

The team asked 43 neonatal ICU teams to participate in training workshops with simulations of common acute care problems that can develop in vulnerable babies.

Each team had two doctors and two nurses.