title: NICU discharge planning and beyond: recommendations for parent psychosocial support.
abstract: Parents will interact with a multitude of teams from various disciplines during their child's admission to the neonatal intensive care unit. Recognition of the emotional stressors experienced by these parents is a first step in working to provide the crucial support and parenting skills needed for bonding and caring for their infant from admission through discharge and beyond. Family-centered care involves time-sensitive two-way communication between parents and the multidisciplinary team members who coordinate care transition by providing emotional, educational, medical and home visitor support for these families. To do this well, a thoughtful exchange of information between team members and parents is essential to identify psychosocial stress and ameliorate family concerns. Parents will need emotional and educational support and follow-up resources. Establishing individualized, flexible but realistic, pre- and post-discharge plans with parents is needed to start their healthy transition to home and community.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: I B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Purdy
authors.affiliation: School of Occupational Therapy, Brenau University, Gainesville, GA, USA.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Craig
authors.affiliation: Cecil Picard Center for Child Development and College of Nursing and Allied Sciences, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA, USA.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zeanah
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D000066498:Emotional Adjustment; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000592:standards*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D012944:Social Support