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Transition From Hospital to Home in Parents of Preterm Infants: A Literature Review
1Council of the International Neonatal Nurses, Yardley, Pennsylvania.
Insights
Parents face significant challenges transitioning home with preterm infants, impacting role development and parent-infant bonding. Further research is needed to understand and support this complex journey for families with premature babies.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Nursing
- Parental Adaptation
- Healthcare Transition
Background:
- The transition from hospital to home for parents of prematurely born infants is complex and poorly understood.
- Challenges faced by parents upon returning home and increased healthcare costs necessitate a clearer conceptualization of this phenomenon.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct an integrative literature review to better understand the phenomenon of hospital-to-home transition for parents of preterm infants.
- To identify key themes and challenges experienced by parents during this critical period.
Main Methods:
- An integrative literature review guided by Whittemore and Knafl's theoretical framework.
- Systematic search of multiple electronic databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane, EBSCO) for research published between 1980 and 2014.
- Inclusion of 50 research reports focusing on parents of preterm infants.
Main Results:
- Five major themes emerged: disruption of parental role development, distorted parent-infant relationships, psychological consequences of preterm birth and hospitalization, learning caregiving skills, and the need for social and professional support.
- These themes highlight the multifaceted challenges parents encounter during the transition period.
- Inconsistencies across study results indicate a need for further investigation.
Conclusions:
- The transition from hospital to home for parents of preterm infants is characterized by significant challenges across multiple dimensions.
- Enhanced conceptualization and measurement of these transitional challenges are crucial for developing effective support strategies.
- Further research is warranted to address the needs of this vulnerable population and improve outcomes for both infants and families.
Abstract:
Transition from hospital to home is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon for parents of prematurely born infants (<37 weeks of gestation). The absence of a clear conceptualization of this particular transition coupled with the challenges parents have when they return home and higher costs of healthcare service usage postdischarge dictates the need for a better understanding of this phenomenon. A literature review was undertaken using Whittemore and Knafl's theoretical framework for integrative review as a guide. A systematic search of the electronic databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, Medline, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, EMBASE, Cochrane Database for Systematic Reviews, and EBSCO) was performed. Fifty selected reports of research conducted on parents of preterm infants during 1980-2014 are included in this article. Five themes emerged from the review-disruption of parental role development, distorted development of parent-infant relationships, psychological consequences of a preterm birth and infant hospitalization, learning caregiving and parenting, and need for social and professional supports-which appear to reflect parental challenges during transition from hospital to home after discharge. Several inconsistencies in results of the studies dictate the need for further research in this vulnerable population; the better conceptualization and measurement of transitional challenges are warranted.
