Mothers’ Perceptions of the Quality of Their Infants’ Back Transfer

Parents' perception of the back-transport of very-low-birth-weight infants to community hospitals

“…16,17 Mothers' statements opposing transfer, such as 'they really care about [baby] herey' reflect this attachment. Slattery et al 9 reported that the longer infants were hospitalized in the RR-NICU, the less stressful parents perceived the transfer. We did not find this to be true, but the median length of stay in the study by Slattery et al 9 was one-half the length of stay in our study (19.5 vs 40 days) and the median birth weight was substantially larger (1900 vs 1047 g), suggesting a more mature infant sample.…”

“…Slattery et al 9 reported that the longer infants were hospitalized in the RR-NICU, the less stressful parents perceived the transfer. We did not find this to be true, but the median length of stay in the study by Slattery et al 9 was one-half the length of stay in our study (19.5 vs 40 days) and the median birth weight was substantially larger (1900 vs 1047 g), suggesting a more mature infant sample. Parents of these infants may have had much different expectations regarding the duration of hospitalization for their infant, than parents in our study.…”

“…This can be particularly important when there is a change in the infant's condition after transfer, as this has been shown to negatively impact the parents' perception of CH care. 9 Although many parents voiced their reservations about the transfer, most were satisfied with the discharge process and felt equally prepared to care for their infant at home as those discharged from the RR-NICU. This was contrary to our hypothesis and may reflect that adequate time is afforded for discharge teaching at the RR-NICU despite the demands of an intensive care environment.…”

“…Similarity in practice between health care professionals at the RR-NICU and at the CH can also facilitate the transition. 9 Establishing an inter-facility advisory group with key leadership personnel from the RR-NICU and the CH to review practice policies and to establish conformity, when appropriate and feasible, could be helpful. Developing a transfer checklist that would include a timeline could encourage the completion of medical tasks, such as giving immunizations before transfer, and foster communication between the RR-NICU and the CH providers and parents.…”

“…Historically, back-transported infants were feeders and growers with few complications; most of the published literature on parent perception of back-transport reflects experiences with this population. 2,[6][7][8][9] Now, even extremely low-birth-weight infants with chronic conditions are back-transported. 10 Few studies have investigated whether the vulnerability of these infants affects parent perception of transfer.…”