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The Effect of Transition to Home Care Model on the Outcomes of Premature Infants and Their Parents: A Systematic
Lia Kamila1,2, Guswan Wiwaha3, Ari Indra Susanti3
1Doctoral Study Program in Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang 45363, Indonesia.
Insights
Effective hospital-to-home transitional care for preterm infants involves multicomponent, family-centered approaches extending beyond discharge. Further research is needed to clarify optimal interventions and outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pediatric health outcomes
- Family-centered care
Background:
- Preterm infants face significant vulnerabilities post-neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge.
- Effective hospital-to-home transitional care models for this population are not well-defined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review evidence on transitional care models for preterm infants post-NICU discharge.
- To identify intervention characteristics linked to improved infant and parental outcomes.
Main Methods:
- PRISMA 2020-guided systematic review of quantitative and mixed-method studies.
- Searches across major databases (MEDLINE, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane Library) updated in March 2026.
- Narrative synthesis using a SWiM-based approach due to heterogeneity.
Main Results:
- Twenty-one studies involving 4142 participants were included.
- Common interventions included discharge preparation, parental education, telehealth, and care coordination.
- Favorable outcomes were reported for infant growth, feeding, readmission, and parental readiness, though findings varied.
Conclusions:
- Multicomponent, family-centered transitional care pathways extending post-discharge may benefit preterm infants and families.
- Evidence is heterogeneous, necessitating cautious interpretation of practice implications.
- Larger comparative studies with standardized outcomes are required, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Abstract:
Background: Preterm infants remain vulnerable after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), yet the key components of effective hospital-to-home transitional care remain unclear. Objectives: This systematic review synthesized evidence on hospital-to-home transitional care models for preterm infants and identified intervention characteristics associated with post-discharge infant and parental outcomes. Methods: This PRISMA 2020-guided systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251011887). The protocol was amended to remove the planned meta-analysis because of substantial heterogeneity. Searches were conducted in EBSCO-MEDLINE, Scopus, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library in March 2025 and updated in March 2026. Quantitative and mixed-method studies evaluating hospital-to-home transitional care for preterm infants were included. Findings were synthesized narratively using a SWiM-based approach. Results: Twenty-one studies were included, comprising 4142 study units across infants, parents/caregivers, or infant-parent dyads. Interventions were initiated during NICU admission, at discharge, or after discharge and commonly included discharge preparation, parental education, telehealth support, and care coordination. Several studies reported favorable outcomes related to infant growth, feeding, length of stay, readmission, healthcare utilization, and parental readiness or caregiving competence, although findings varied across intervention types, study designs, and outcome measures. Three non-comparative studies provided additional evidence on feasibility and acceptability. Conclusions: Hospital-to-home transitional care may benefit preterm infants and their families when delivered as a multicomponent, family-centered pathway extending beyond discharge. However, the evidence remains heterogeneous, and practice implications should be interpreted cautiously. Larger comparative studies using standardized infant-centered outcomes are needed, particularly in low- and middle-income settings.
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