Effects of a Transitional Care Program on Premature Infants and their Mothers

Abstract

Abstract: This study tested the effects of a researcher-developed transitional care program for mothers of premature infants on the mothers ’ transition from hospital to home, and their infants ’ physical illness, growth and development. Participants included 72 mothers and 81 premature infants who were randomly assigned into an experimental or a control group. The experimental group received the transitional care program, which included: preparation of the mothers for transition from hospital to home; preparation of family members (i.e. grandmothers/grandfather and fathers) who would serve as caregivers, along with the mothers, of the premature infants; preparation of the mothers ’ primary health care providers, in the community, to serve as resources, after the mothers ’ and infants ’ discharge from the hospital; and provision of follow-up care after the mothers’ and infants ’ hospital discharge. Those in the control group received only routine care from the hospital nurses. The results revealed mothers in the experimental group had significantly higher mean transition scores than those in the control group at eight and 16 weeks after they and their infants were discharged from the hospital. In addition, significantly fewer ill infants were found in the experimental group than in the control group at the 8th and 16th week post-hospital discharge. Although the increase in body length of the infants in the experimental group was significantly higher than among infants in the control group at the 8th week, no significant difference was noted between the two groups with respect to body length at the 16th week. Also, no significant differences were found, regarding an increase in weight and head circumference of infants, in either the experimental group or the control group at the 8th and 16th week post-hospital discharge