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Are families prepared for discharge from the NICU?

Journal of Perinatology volume 29, pages 623–629 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

(1) Quantify and compare the family's and the nurse's perception regarding the family's discharge preparedness. (2) Determine which elements contribute to a family's discharge preparedness.

Study Design:

We studied the families of all the infants discharged from a neonatal intensive care unit after a minimum of a 2-week admission. The families rated their overall discharge preparedness with a 9-point Likert scale on the day of discharge. Independently, the discharging nurse evaluated the family's discharge preparedness. Families were considered discharge ‘prepared’ if they rated themselves and the nurse rated their technical and emotional preparedness as ⩾7 on the Likert scale.

Result:

We had 867 (58%) family–nurse pairs who completed the survey. Most families (87%) were prepared for discharge as assessed by the concordant questionnaire (Likert scores of ⩾7 by the parent and the nurse). In multivariate analysis, confidence in their child's health and maturity (odds ratios, OR=2.5 95% confidence interval, CI (1.2, 5.3)), their readiness for their infants to come home (OR=2.9 95% CI (1.0, 8.3)), and selecting a pediatrician (OR=4.2 95% CI (1.6, 11.0)) were statistically significant.

Conclusion:

Assistance with pediatrician selection and home preparation may improve the percentage of families prepared for discharge.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for the project was from NRSA institutional training grant AHRQ T32 HS 000063 to the Harvard Pediatric Health Services Research Fellowship Program and the Harvard School of Public Health Department of Maternal Child Health Educational training grant MCHP 2T 76MC 00001-47. An early version of the pilot work for this manuscript was presented in abstract and poster form at the Pediatric Academic Societies’ Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California in May 2004. We have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neonatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    V C Smith, S Young, D M Pursley, M C McCormick & J A F Zupancic

  2. Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    M C McCormick

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  1. V C Smith
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  2. S Young
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Correspondence to V C Smith.

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Smith, V., Young, S., Pursley, D. et al. Are families prepared for discharge from the NICU?. J Perinatol 29, 623–629 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2009.58

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