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Weaknesses in the continuity of care for preterm infants discharged from the neonatal unit
Mariana Camargo Tanaka1, Fabiane Blanco Silva Bernardino1, Patrícia Pinto Braga2
1Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Faculdade de Enfermagem, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil.
Insights
Continuity of care for preterm infants is weak due to challenges in neonatal unit referrals and poor family-professional interactions. Health services require improvement to ensure seamless care transitions for these vulnerable infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Public health
- Healthcare systems
Background:
- Preterm infants require specialized and continuous care post-discharge.
- Effective care transitions are crucial for improving outcomes in preterm infants.
- The family health strategy plays a vital role in ongoing infant care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify weaknesses in the continuity of care for preterm infants.
- To understand these weaknesses from the perspective of family health strategy professionals.
- To inform improvements in care delivery for discharged preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative research design.
- Conducted with 16 healthcare professionals in Brazil.
- Data collected through semi-structured interviews and content analysis.
Main Results:
- Identified challenges in neonatal unit care and referrals.
- Observed weak interactions between families and healthcare professionals.
- Highlighted the critical role of information exchange for care continuity.
Conclusions:
- Healthcare services exhibit fragility in ensuring continuity of care for preterm infants.
- Discontinuities in care negatively impact preterm children's health outcomes.
- Strengthening interprofessional communication and family engagement is essential.
Objective:
To identify weaknesses in the continuity of care for preterm infants discharged from a neonatal unit, based on the perspective of professionals in the family health strategy.
Method:
Qualitative research, carried out with 16 professionals from four health regions in a capital city in the center-west of Brazil. Data collection took place from October to December 2020, through semi-structured, individual, and in-person interviews. Data underwent content analysis, supported by the concept of continuity of care.
Results:
The analysis consisted of three categories: Challenges for care in the unit and referral to specialized services; weak interactions between the preterm baby's family and health professionals; Information: essential aspect for the connection between health professionals and the family of the preterm newborn.
Conclusion:
Health services are shown to be fragile in terms of the dimensions of continuity of care, contributing to the discontinuity of care for preterm children.
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