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Monitoring of Infants Discharged Home with Medical Devices
Insights
Infants with complex conditions often go home with medical devices. Evidence-based guidelines are needed for managing these high-risk infants after discharge to ensure safe care and reduce emergency visits.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Pediatric Care
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Many preterm and term infants with complex medical conditions require technological support upon discharge.
- Common conditions include apnea of prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, upper airway anomalies, central nervous system disorders, and neuromuscular disorders.
- Some infants are discharged with nasogastric or gastrostomy tube feeding support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the scarcity of evidence-based guidelines for post-discharge management of high-risk infants.
- To emphasize the need for improved transition of care and caregiver education.
- To inform primary care providers about common supportive devices and potential complications.
Main Methods:
- Review of common diagnoses and technological support needs for discharged infants.
- Discussion of essential elements for safe home care transition.
- Emphasis on caregiver education regarding medications, feeding, and device management.
Main Results:
- Lack of comprehensive, evidence-based guidelines for post-discharge care of technologically supported infants.
- Identification of critical components for successful hospital-to-home transition.
- Recognition of the importance of primary care provider awareness regarding infant support devices.
Conclusions:
- Effective post-discharge management requires robust transition protocols and thorough caregiver instruction.
- Primary care providers must be knowledgeable about supportive devices to manage potential complications.
- Developing evidence-based guidelines is crucial for optimizing the care of high-risk infants at home.
Abstract:
Preterm infants and term infants with complex medical conditions are often discharged home with technological support. There is a scarcity of evidence-based guidelines for post-discharge management of these infants at high risk. Common diagnoses necessitating the need for respiratory support and/or monitoring devices include apnea of prematurity and bronchopulmonary dysplasia for preterm infants, and upper airway anomalies, central nervous system disorders, and neuromuscular disorders for term infants. Some infants who are unable to receive complete oral feeds for various reasons are sometimes discharged home with nasogastric or gastrostomy tube feeds. For safe patient care at home and reduction of emergency department visits, there should be proper transition of care from hospital to primary care provider, and appropriate instruction of caregivers for care of the infant including teaching about medications, feeding, and management of medical devices. Primary care providers should be aware of these common supportive devices and their complications to provide timely intervention if needed. [Pediatr Ann. 2020;49(2):e88-e92.].
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