title: Going home: what NICU nurses need to know about home care.
abstract: Pediatric home health care enables patients to be at home with their families in settings that bring them joy, comfort, and the security we all feel when we are at home. There is also a feeling, no matter how small, that the parents have some control over what is happening to their child. Infants with multiple needs require in-depth discharge planning. There are the physical and health concerns of the preterm infant and the potential complications that he could still develop. Parent teaching is vital for the successful transition from hopital to home. When the neonatal discharge nurse is aware of what difficulties the parents and the patient might face at home, her teaching can be tailored to meer the specific needs of these vulnerable, complicated infants. This article discusses the discharge planning process, which begins upon admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, as well as common problems encountered by many premature infants discharged home.
authors.affiliation: South Florida Pediatric Home Care, Inc, USA. rscherf@att.net
authors.forename: Rosalyn F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Scherf
authors.forename: Karen White
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Reid
mesh_terms: D000359:Aftercare / Q000458:organization & administration; D019090:Case Management / Q000458:organization & administration; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008297:Male; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration; D010351:Patient Discharge; D010360:Patient Transfer