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The effect of newborn early discharge follow-up program on pediatric urgent care utilization
1Pediatric Outpatient Department, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Fontana, California, USA.
Insights
An early discharge follow-up program significantly reduced urgent care visits for newborns. This program, involving nurse practitioners, improved infant and mother care, meeting their needs effectively.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Early discharge programs for newborns are increasingly common.
- Evaluating the impact of these programs on healthcare utilization is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effect of an early discharge follow-up program on newborn urgent care service utilization.
- To determine if participation in the program reduces the need for urgent care visits.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective records review was conducted.
- Compared urgent care usage rates between two groups of early discharged newborns: those before and those after program implementation.
Main Results:
- Infants born before the program had a 58% urgent care utilization rate.
- Infants whose parents attended the program showed a significantly lower utilization rate of 28%.
Conclusions:
- Early discharge follow-up programs managed by nurse practitioners decrease urgent care utilization.
- These programs effectively address the needs of both mother and infant, enhancing overall care quality.
Introduction:
The effects of an early discharge follow-up program on the subsequent use of urgent care services by newborn infants at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana, Calif, was evaluated to test the hypothesis that participation in the follow-up program would result in a significant decrease in utilization of urgent care services.
Method:
Through records review, the effects of a new early discharge follow-up program on the rate of use of urgent care services was examined. Use of urgent care services by 324 early discharged newborn infants who were born before the new program was initiated was measured and compared with the use of urgent care services by 315 early discharged newborn infants whose parents had attended the program.
Results:
Of the infants born before the new program was initiated, 58% used urgent care services before the 2- to 3-week newborn checkup. The group that participated in the new program used urgent care at the lower rate of 28%; thus the hypothesis was confirmed.
Discussion:
Follow-up programs in which qualified nurse practitioners provide care for both the mother and newborn infant are demonstrated to decrease the utilization of urgent care services and better meet the needs of the infant and mother. Innovative and collaborative nurse practitioner-managed programs such as Great Starts are needed to ensure quality care in today's rapidly changing health care environment.