Hospital Stay for Healthy Term Newborn Infants

Abstract

The hospital stay of the mother and her healthy term newborn infant should be long enough to allow identification of problems and to ensure that the mother is sufficiently recovered and prepared to care for herself and her newborn at home. The length of stay should be based on the unique characteristics of each mother-infant dyad, including the health of the mother, the health and stability of the newborn, the ability and confidence of the mother to care for herself and her newborn, the adequacy of support systems at home, and access to appropriate follow-up care in a medical home. Input from the mother and her obstetrical care provider should be considered before a decision to discharge a newborn is made, and all efforts should be made to keep a mother and her newborn together to ensure simultaneous discharge. PURPOSEThe purpose of this policy statement is to review issues related to length of stay and readmission of healthy term newborns and to identify specific criteria that should be met to ensure that discharge and subsequent follow-up are appropriate. BACKGROUND

Parental readiness for hospital discharge as a mediator between quality of discharge teaching and parental self‐efficacy in parents of preterm infants

“…QDT-Content Received and QDT-Delivery had both direct and indirect effects (through RHD) on SE. The findings suggest that RHD is an important indicator for discharge preparation, which echoes the shift in decisionmaking on newborn discharge from length of hospitalisation-based discharge to readiness-based discharge (Benitz, 2015). Nurses were able to identify parents' knowledge gaps that could influence their caring behaviour prior to providing parents with individual information and training in order to prepare them more effectively for the discharge of their infant.…”

Newborn follow-up after discharge from a tertiary care hospital in the Western Cape region of South Africa: a prospective observational cohort study

“…Aside from establishing a relationship with a medical home, the purpose of the follow-up visit is to evaluate for signs/symptoms of infection, jaundice, feeding difficulties, and other issues that may manifest after the first few days of life. Follow-up is generally recommended within two days after discharge for shorter lengths of stay (less than 48 h) up to the first few days following discharge for more prolonged perinatal hospitalizations [ 8 , 9 , 12 ]. When adhered to, such discharge guidelines appear to decrease the likelihood of hospital readmission [ 13 , 14 ] and may allow for the detection of cases of neonatal sepsis in a region where the incidence is close to 10% [ 15 ].…”

Children's safety in the first year of life: knowledge of the mothers Revista Médica de Minas Gerais

“…As implicações das causas externas vão além das mortes: determinam hospitalizações, causam sequelas temporárias e/ou permanentes, ocasionam agravos emocionais e sociais e as perdas financeiras se estendem tanto à família como também à sociedade.³ Em 2014, morreram, no Brasil, 108 lactentes menores de um ano, vítimas de acidentes de transporte, dos quais 56 eram ocupantes de automóvel.¹ Recomenda-se que, antes da alta hospitalar do recém-nascido (RN), os pais devem ser orientados quanto ao uso correto do assento de segurança. 4 As crianças são particularmente suscetíveis às quedas. Condições socioeconômicas e ambientais desfavoráveis à segurança são vistas como fatores de risco significativos para esses eventos.…”

“…8 A segurança da criança, tema que se destaca entre as atribuições do pediatra, é questão que deve ser tratada ainda na maternidade, ocasião em que devem ser abordados cuidados com a alimentação, tópicos como a segurança no sono, no transporte, no ambiente domiciliar, assim como a existência de vulnerabilidade social e familiar. 4 Em consultas de puericultura, orientações atualizadas sobre prevenção de acidentes e promoção da saúde devem ser disponibilizadas de acordo com a faixa etária da criança, o ambiente em que reside e os riscos a que está sujeita. 10 A presente pesquisa visa averiguar o conhecimento de puérperas sobre segurança da criança no primeiro ano de vida.…”