Collaboration challenges faced by nurses when premature infants are discharged

To explore the collaboration challenges faced by neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses and public health nurses when preparing premature infants for transition home and to explore the culture of cooperation between the two professional groups.

Qualitative individual interviews were undertaken with two NICU nurses and two public health nurses. A qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data.

Three main themes were identified: different expectations and lack of communication between NICU nurses and public health nurses; responsibilities and interactions between the two professional groups were not clearly defined; and the public health nurses' competence was not recognised by the NICU nurses and parents.

There is a need of clear guidelines about the discharge process from the NICU. This issue must be given further attention.