Increasing Parent Satisfaction With Discharge Planning: An Improvement Project Using Technology in a Level 3 NICU.

Area of Science:

• Neonatal care
• Health informatics
• Patient education

Background:

• Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) families face overwhelming discharge processes, leading to anxiety that hinders learning and impacts infant outcomes.
• Effective discharge teaching is crucial for NICU readiness, necessitating improved preparation programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance NICU discharge preparedness through consistent, early teaching.
• To integrate technology as a supplemental resource for discharge education.
• To improve parental satisfaction with the NICU discharge process.

Main Methods:

• A task force of NICU staff and former parents developed technology-based discharge education content.
• Content was delivered via an e-book and later the electronic health record inpatient portal for family convenience.
• Postdischarge follow-up calls assessed parental reactions to the new education format.

Main Results:

• Parent satisfaction scores in the "Prepared for Discharge" category improved from 47% (2017) to 70% (2019).
• 92% of families highly rated the tablet-based discharge teaching during postdischarge phone calls.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive, consistent, and early discharge program utilizing technology enhances NICU education efficiency and parent satisfaction.
• Further research is needed to generalize inpatient portal teaching for NICU parental education.