Feasibility of a Telehealth Model of Therapy Service Delivery After Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Discharge

To determine the feasibility and acceptability of the Baby Bridge telehealth model, aimed at expediting the time to therapy activation after neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge. High-risk infants needing therapy after NICU discharge had an in-person therapy visit in the NICU to consent and conduct standardized assessments, followed by weekly telehealth Baby Bridge services starting within 1 week of NICU discharge. Among eight families, the first Baby Bridge telehealth session occurred at an average of 6.0 ± 2.6 days following discharge. They received an average of 8.3 (±2.1) telehealth sessions over 9.2 (±3.5) weeks. All therapy sessions after NICU discharge were accomplished with telehealth rather than in-person sessions. Satisfaction surveys of the eight families indicated they were "very satisfied" with Baby Bridge telehealth services. Telehealth Baby Bridge services appear to be feasible and acceptable when implementing programming to improve early therapy access for high-risk infants.