Understanding preparation for preterm infant discharge from parents’ and healthcare providers’ perspectives: Challenges and opportunities

• Published in: Journal of advanced nursing Vol. 77; no. 3; pp. 1379 - 1390
• Main Authors: Hua, Wenzhe, Wang, Liying, Li, Chenxing, Simoni, Jane M., Yuwen, Weichao, Jiang, Liping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-03-2021
• Subjects: Community nursing; Content analysis; Discharge; discharge preparation; discharge readiness; Fathers; Health care; healthcare provider; Infants; Intensive care; Mothers; Neonatal care; Neonatal units; Newborn babies; Nurses; nursing; parents; Parents & parenting; Premature babies; Premature birth; preterm infant; theory; China; discharge readiness; discharge preparation; healthcare provider; neonatal care; nursing; preterm infant; theory; parents
• ISSN: 0309-2402; 1365-2648
• DOI: 10.1111/jan.14676

Aim
To describe the facilitating/inhibiting factors of preparation for preterm infant discharge and recommendations for increasing discharge readiness from parents’ and healthcare providers’ perspectives based on Meleis's Transitions Theory.
Design
A qualitative cross‐sectional descriptive design.
Methods
We selected a purposive sample of 17 parents (9 fathers and 8 mothers) and 13 healthcare providers (10 nurses and 3 clinicians) from the neonatal intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital in Eastern China. Data were collected between May ‐July 2018. Data from audio‐recorded semi‐structured individual interviews were coded with content analysis both inductively and deductively.
Results
The analyses yielded four themes: personal conditions, community conditions, nursing therapeutics, and patterns of response. Parents and healthcare providers had unique opinions about the themes.
Conclusion
Meleis's Transitions Theory seems to be an applicable and practicable framework for understanding the discharge preparation of parents with preterm infants and may be used to help healthcare providers to develop appropriate interventions on discharge preparation practice.
Impact
To address the lack of discharge readiness of preterm infants in China and countries with a similar clinical context, healthcare providers should help parents play a more active role to promote their engagement in discharge preparation. In a wider global community, healthcare providers should consider parents’ personal conditions and their practical needs in performing discharge preparation.
摘要
目的
以梅莱斯转移理论为基础, 从父母和医护人员的角度对早产儿出院准备的促进/抑制因素进行说明,并提供出院准备的建议。
设计
定性横断面描述性设计。
方法
从华东地区一家三甲医院新生儿重症监护室选取了17位父母 (9位父亲和8位母亲) 和13位医护人员 (10位护士和3位临床医生) 作为研究对象。数据于2018年5月至7月之间收集。采用内容分析法 (包括归纳和演绎两种方法) 对录音半结构化个人访谈的数据进行编码。
结果
分析得出四个主题:个人状况、社区条件、护理疗法和反应模式。家长和医护人员对这些主题各自见解不同。
结论
梅莱斯转移理论似乎是理解早产儿父母出院准备的一个适用且可行的框架, 并可用于帮助医护人员制定适当的出院准备实践干预措施。
影响
为了解决中国和具有类似临床背景的国家早产儿出院准备不足的问题, 医护人员应帮助父母发挥更积极的作用, 促进他们参与出院准备工作。在全球社会更大的背景中, 医护人员在进行出院准备时应考虑父母的个人情况和实际需求。