Scoping review of interventions to support families with preterm infants post-NICU discharge.
Thao Griffith, Anamika Singh, Margaret Naber and 5 others
PMID 36041959WHAT IT FOUND
Post-NICU discharge support may reduce parental stress and increase confidence, but programs mixed components and long-term cognitive or motor gains were not shown.
Key findings
01Face-to-face home visit programs reported lower parental stress, anxiety, and fear, and higher parental confidence, competency, feeling supported, sense of security, and trust in the infant's capacity.
02Phone or video support programs reported lower parental stress, higher sense of security, and fewer emergency visits.
03Long-term child outcomes were mixed: higher physical well-being at age 9 and lower internalizing behaviors at age 4, but no significant difference in cognitive or motor functioning at ages 4, 7, and 9.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The included studies varied by country, setting, sample size, and family characteristics. Qualitative and survey studies had selection bias because only parents willing to complete questionnaires were included. Parents whose infants died were excluded, so bereavement experiences were not captured. Many programs combined face-to-face and remote components and began during NICU stay, so the specific component linked to each outcome could not be determined. Intervention programs varied in number and duration of visits and used modified protocols, so results cannot be directly compared. Long-term studies did not formally assess the home environment for all subjects. Most studies did not control for families' access to other communication technologies. Most included studies were conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic, so current applicability may be limited.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the lower stress, higher confidence, or fewer emergency visits as proof that home visits, calls, texts, or apps each work on their own. Many programs combined these components, started before discharge, and varied in dose, while long-term cognitive and motor outcomes showed no significant difference.