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Sammanfattning

In Denmark, the number of prematurely born children has increased by 40 percent within the last 12 years. Admission to a neonatal unit can often be difficult for both baby and parents. To add to the difficulty, the parents, once they leave hospital, are left to their own devices with the responsibility for the baby. According to literature, parents want more information prior to their baby being discharged, but in many situations the guidelines for parents are still based on old routines rather than on fact. This article describes a qualitative study based on interviews with eight sets of parents in order to establish, what guidelines they require, when their baby is discharged. The study shows that parents want to be issued with a discharge plan and need a nurse to personally go through the discharge information with them. At the time of discharge, they want to go through what happened during the course of hospitalisation, the treatment and the future. It appears that among themselves, parents build up certain self-appointed guidelines for the time of discharge of their children. The parents generally feel well equipped to go home, but need more information about baby care in general. The parents want to be given the option of being in touch with the neonatal unit in the first few days following discharge.

MeSH