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Published on: August 25, 2014
NICU Parents of Black Preterm Infants: Application of the Kenner Transition Model
1Nursing Science Professional Practice & Quality, Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia; and School of Medicine & Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia.
Insights
Parents of Black preterm infants reported moderate to high readiness for home care after NICU discharge. Key parental needs align with the revised Kenner Transition Model, supporting its application for diverse families.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care transition
- Parental readiness assessment
- Health disparities in infant mortality
Background:
- Black infants face the highest infant mortality and preterm birth rates in the U.S.
- Post-neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge disparities in Black preterm infants are critical.
- The revised Kenner Transition Model (KTM) domains address parental needs but haven't been applied to Black infants' NICU transition.
Discussion:
- This study explored the conceptual fit of the revised KTM with parental readiness for Black preterm infants post-NICU discharge.
- A qualitative descriptive approach analyzed 10 parents' perceptions using semantic content analysis and the Transition Questionnaire (TQ).
- Findings indicate the revised KTM domains are relevant for assessing parental readiness in this population.
Key Insights:
- All parents affirmed the KTM domains: 'Information Needs,' 'Stress and Coping,' and 'Professional Support.'
- Parental self-report via TQ indicated moderate to high readiness for home transition post-NICU discharge.
- The revised KTM domains align with the experiences of parents caring for Black preterm infants after NICU.
Outlook:
- The revised KTM domains were validated by parents of Black preterm infants.
- Further research is needed to clinically assess transition readiness using theoretical frameworks across diverse NICU families.
- This study supports the application of the KTM in improving care transitions for vulnerable infant populations.
Background:
Black infants in the United States have the highest incidence of both infant mortality (IM) and preterm birth among all racial/ethnic groups. The IM disparity for Black preterm infants often occurs after neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge, when parents become the primary caregivers. The revised Kenner Transition Model (KTM) is situation specific and comprised 5 interrelated domains of parental need after NICU discharge that have not been previously applied to the transition from NICU to home of Black infants.
Purpose:
This study's purpose was to explore the conceptual fit of parental readiness to care for their Black preterm infants after NICU discharge with the revised KTM.
Methods:
A qualitative descriptive research approach was used for this single-site study of NICU parents of Black preterm infants. Qualitative analysis of 10 parents' perceptions before NICU discharge was via semantic content analysis; data were organized into categories aligned with the KTM. The Transition Questionnaire (TQ), an adjunct to the KTM, provided self- report quantitative data.
Results:
All parents endorsed the "Information Needs," "Stress and Coping," and "Professional Support" domains of the KTM. Parent TQ responses indicated perceptions of moderate to high levels of home transition readiness after NICU discharge.
Implications For Practice And Research:
The domains of the revised KTM were affirmed by parents of Black preterm infants in this study via coded interview and TQ responses. Additional study exploring the clinical assessment of transition readiness with theoretical grounding in diverse NICU families is warranted.
Video Abstract Available At:
https://journals.lww.com/advancesinneonatalcare/Pages/videogallery.aspx .
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