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Discharging ventilator-dependent children: a continuing challenge
1University of Florida, College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Gainesville 32610, USA.
Insights
Transitioning ventilator-dependent children home requires robust interdisciplinary planning. While some challenges are resolved, ongoing issues hinder adequate care for children with special health care needs (CSHCN).
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Healthcare Management
- Community Health
Background:
- Transitioning ventilator-dependent children to community-based care presents significant challenges.
- Over two decades, healthcare systems, families, and communities have faced difficulties in this transition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review resolved and unresolved challenges in preparing ventilator-dependent children for community care.
- To identify nursing implications and recommendations for future research.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature.
- Analysis of existing research.
- Clinical observation.
Main Results:
- Interdisciplinary discharge planning, protocols, case management, and collaborative care have resolved some challenges.
- Unresolved challenges persist, impacting the adequate care for children with special health care needs (CSHCN).
Conclusions:
- Effective strategies like collaborative care have improved transitions for some children.
- Continued efforts are needed to address systemic, legal, and community barriers for CSHCN.
Abstract:
Preparation of ventilator-dependent children, their families, the health care system, and communities for community-based care has presented many challenges over the past two decades. This article reviews some of the challenges that have been resolved by interdisciplinary discharge planning, discharge protocols, case management approaches, and collaborative care. Unresolved challenges continue to prevent children with special health care needs (CSHCN) from being served adequately by the health care system, the legal system and the community in this era of cost containment. Current literature, existing research and clinical observation were used to develop nursing implications and recommendations for continued research.