Effectiveness of neonatal early supported transfer to home interventions: implications for practise

In the UK, more than 38,000 preterm infants are admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units every year. NICU stays, along with perceived vulnerability, have been shown to increase parental stress. Parental stress at this stage of infant development has been associated with a deterioration of the long-term parent-infant relationship. Parental stress may be reduced by early educational, behavioural, and psychological support interventions. However, there is a dearth of literature that has synthesised whether these early discharge (supported transfer to home) interventions are clinically effective. This commentary aims to critically appraise a recent systematic review by Hamer et al, 2022 and expand upon the implications of the findings for clinical practice.