Parents experiences of discharge readiness from a Swedish neonatal intensive care unit.
Christina Larsson, Ulrika Wågström, Erik Normann and 1 others
PMID 28286665WHAT IT FOUND
Most parents felt prepared to leave the NICU, but many still worried about breathing and feeding at home.
They valued continuous presence and gradual care handover. They asked for clearer discharge planning and follow-up support.
Key findings
0183% of parents reported feeling adequately prepared for discharge, and 74% felt they received sufficient support for the first days at home.
02Parents identified staying with the infant and gradually taking over care tasks as the main factors that made them feel ready.
03Despite feeling prepared, many parents experienced anxiety at home about the infant's breathing and food intake once monitoring equipment was removed.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted at a single NICU in Sweden, so results may not apply to units with different staffing models or parental leave laws. Data was collected via questionnaire rather than interviews, limiting the depth of understanding behind the answers. The sample was relatively small (66 respondents), and no analysis was done to link specific infant health needs to parental experiences.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was part of an ongoing quality improvement project at the hospital.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that high reported preparation rates mean parents are fully confident in managing medical tasks at home. Many parents who said they were prepared still experienced significant anxiety about breathing and feeding once they left the monitored environment.