Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale-Parent Form in parents of preterm infants.

The sample came from two tertiary hospitals in one Chinese city and was recruited by convenience, so it may not represent parents elsewhere. Most participants were fathers (73.3%), because many mothers were still in postpartum confinement and did not attend discharge day, so results may not reflect mothers' readiness. The authors did not evaluate content validity, so they did not show that the items cover all important aspects of discharge readiness for Chinese parents. The factor structure differed from the original scale: coping ability was not retained, and pain status emerged as a separate factor. The study measured associations at discharge, not whether using the scale changes discharge teaching, parental confidence, infant safety, or readmission. Eighteen of 168 recruited parents did not complete the study because of infant health issues or time conflicts.

The study received no specific grant from public, commercial, or not-for-profit funding agencies, and the authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not read this as proof that the shortened scale improves discharge care. It was tested in 150 parents, mostly fathers, in two Chinese hospitals, and content validity and post-discharge outcomes were not assessed.