Effects of an Information-Based Discharge Service on Preterm Infants, Parents, and Hospitals
- Conditions
- Patient DischargeInfant, Premature
- Interventions
- Other: The information-based discharge preparation service (IBDPS)
- Registration Number
- NCT06613386
- Brief Summary
Background:The Information-Based Discharge Preparation Service (IBDPS) supports parents of preterm infants during the transition from hospital to home, but its effectiveness has not been widely studied.
Objective:To evaluate the impact of IBDPS on parental readiness, caregiving skills, stress, satisfaction, infant development, readmission rates, length of stay, and hospital costs.
Design: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) in a NICU in Jiangsu Province, China.
Participants: Preterm infants and their parents.
Methods:Participants are randomly assigned to receive either IBDPS plus usual care (intervention group) or usual care alone (control group). Data on parental and infant outcomes are collected at various stages from admission to one month post-discharge, along with hospital metrics like length of stay and readmission rates.
- Detailed Description
Participants are randomly allocated to the intervention and control groups. The intervention group receives the IBDPS in addition to the usual care, while the control group receives only the usual discharge education. The IBDPS, grounded in the theories of empowerment and "Timing It Right (TIR)," leverages an information-based platform to provide continuous, multidimensional, and customized support to parents from their infants' admission to one month post-discharge, ensuring seamless integration of discharge preparation both online and offline, and within and outside the hospital. Baseline data are collected at allocation (T1). Parental outcomes, including readiness for hospital discharge and stress, are assessed at T1, upon NICU entry (T2), and prior to discharge (T3), while caregiving skills are measured at T1, T2, T3, and one month post-discharge (T4). Parental satisfaction is measured at T3. Infant outcomes, such as weight, length, head circumference, breastfeeding rate, and feeding intolerance rate, are recorded at T1, T2, T3, and T4, with Neonatal Behavior Neurologic Assessment (NBNA) scores evaluated at T4. Hospital outcomes include length of stay and hospitalization costs, assessed at T3, and unplanned readmissions, recorded at T4.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- NOT_YET_RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 86
Not provided
Not provided
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description IBDPS intervention The information-based discharge preparation service (IBDPS) Caregivers receive the IBDPS alongside usual care. * Grounded in the theories of empowerment and "Timing It Right" (TIR), the IBDPS delivers continuous, individualized support through an information-based platform from admission to one month postdischarge, facilitating seamless integration of discharge preparation across both online and offline environments. * Upon admission, caregivers register via WeChat, receiving tailored, stage-specific guidance on key topics such as "Growth," "Feeding," and "Sleep," aligned with the evolving needs of preterm infants. They can submit nursing concerns and assess their emotional state, with healthcare providers offering ongoing guidance. When the infant's condition stabilizes, caregivers can schedule NICU visits and engage in supervised bedside care training. Prior to discharge, hands-on training is provided. Postdischarge, caregivers upload growth data for continuous monitoring, with the option of home nurse visits.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale From enrollment until the preterm infants discharge, with assessments at enrollment, parent entry into the NICU, and discharge,assessed up to 90 days. The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale (RHDS) - Parent Form was originally developed by Weiss et al. for assessing the readiness of parents for the discharge of their hospitalized children (0 to 18 years old). The Chinese version of the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale (C-RHDS) - Parent Form, adapted by Chen et al. with authorization from the original authors, is utilized to evaluate the readiness of parents for the discharge of preterm infants. This 22-item scale includes four dimensions: Knowledge (9 items), Physical-emotional Status (7 items), Pain Status (2 items), and Expected Support (4 items). Each item is scored on a scale from 0 to 10 (0 = worst; 10 = best), with total scores ranging from 0 to 220. Higher scores reflect better readiness for discharge. The overall Cronbach α coefficient for this scale is 0.91.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Self-Assessment Questionnaire for Caregiving Ability of Parents of Preterm Infants From enrollment until the preterm infants discharge, with assessments at enrollment, parent entry into the NICU, discharge,and one month after discharge,assessed up to 120 days. The Chinese version of the Self-Assessment Questionnaire for Caregiving Ability of Parents of Preterm Infants, developed by Meng et al., is used to evaluate the caregiving ability of parents with preterm infants. This questionnaire consists of 18 items rated on a Likert scale from 1 to 5 (1 = not at all familiar; 5 = very familiar). It is divided into three dimensions: Knowledge of Preterm Infant Care (7 items), Caregiving Skills (7 items), and Caregiving Ability (4 items). The total score ranges from 18 to 90, with higher scores indicating better caregiving ability. The Cronbach α coefficient for the overall scale is 0.956.