Unmet Health and Childcare Needs after Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Discharge.

Area of Science:

• Neonatal care
• Health services research
• Health equity

Background:

• Infants discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) require ongoing health and childcare support.
• Unmet needs post-NICU discharge can impact infant outcomes and family well-being.
• Parental self-efficacy plays a role in navigating healthcare systems and accessing resources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify unmet health and childcare needs in families 12 months after NICU discharge.
• To examine associations between unmet needs and infant characteristics, parent characteristics, and parent self-efficacy.
• To explore racial disparities in unmet needs and the potential moderating role of self-efficacy.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of a randomized control trial using mixed methods.
• Parents reported on the receipt of seven health and childcare services 12 months post-discharge.
• Logistic regression and thematic analysis of open-ended responses were employed.

Main Results:

• 14% of families reported at least one unmet need.
• Greater infant illness severity and longer NICU stay were associated with increased unmet needs.
• Black parents had significantly higher odds of unmet needs compared to White parents, potentially moderated by self-efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Significant unmet health and childcare needs exist post-NICU discharge, with notable racial disparities.
• Higher parental self-efficacy is linked to fewer unmet needs and may mitigate racial disparities.
• NICU follow-up programs should actively screen for and address unmet needs in high-risk populations.