814 ‘I’m coming home’ – improving discharge information for parents of infants in neonatal units

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood 2023-07, Vol.108 (Suppl 2), p.A160-A160
• Main Authors: Diamond, Catherine, Megraw, Orla, Rao, Bharathi, Bothwell, Janice, Hanna, Gail, Glover, Catherine, Lyttle, Nikki, McCormick, Christine, McLean, Emma, Ritchie, Laura
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allergies; Child Development; Feedback; Gestational age; Infants; Intensive care; Neonatal care; Neonates; Newborn babies; Occupational Therapy; Parent Education; Parents & parenting; Pediatrics; Premature babies; Questionnaires; Resistance (Psychology); Weaning; Young Children
• ISSN: 0003-9888; 1468-2044
• DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2023-rcpch.260

ObjectivesHaving an infant in a neonatal unit can be an extremely overwhelming time for any parent, and at the time of discharge home, accessing relevant information can be a difficult task. We aimed to improve the quality of discharge information provided to parents, hoped to answer some common parental questions and wished to provide helpful suggestions to promote development in infants who required neonatal care.MethodsAn anonymous parent questionnaire was devised and completed by parents of neonatal inpatients and outpatients. This aimed to ascertain which topics parents would like to be included in the discharge information. 17 parents completed the questionnaire, 47% inpatient and 53% outpatient.ResultsThe infants had a gestational age range of 26+5 to 41+5 weeks. 59% were preterm and 41% term, with the median length of stay in NICU 13.9 days. The median age on questionnaire completion was 36 days. Parents most requested information was general advice and sleeping, with 80% of parents finding this ‘very’ helpful. Less popular topics included weaning, play ideas and resuscitation/choking, however over 50% of parents still wished for information on these topics. In the free text section, parent’s suggestions included sensory information, allergies and advice for preterm babies who have become accustomed to the hospital environment. A number of parents requested information on protecting their own mental health.ConclusionBased on the information gathered, a multi-disciplinary team including neonatal and community consultants, paediatric registrars, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists formulated a single page of discharge resources. Using PDSA methodology, adaptations were made to update the resource, including a parent feedback subgroup, and lay reader panel feedback. The final version of the leaflet consisted of advice on topics such as sleep, feeding, development and communication. Each topic area has a link to MDT approved resources to support parent education. A ‘Your mood matters’ section for parents has been added with links to local projects and online advice. Each parent receives a paper leaflet with their discharge pack, which includes a QR code for ease of access to online resources. In future, we plan to consult parents of preterm infants attending child development clinic in the first few years of life regarding information they have found beneficial on discharge, and additional resources they would r