RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Estimating discharge dates using routinely collected data: improving the preparedness of parents of preterm infants for discharge home
JF Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition
JO Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
SP F170
OP F172
DO 10.1136/archdischild-2016-310944
VO 102
IS 2
A1 Peter J Fleming
A1 Jennifer Ingram
A1 Debbie Johnson
A1 Peter S Blair
YR 2017
UL http://fn.bmj.com/content/102/2/F170.abstract
AB The length of stay for moderately preterm infants has progressively become shorter in the UK in recent years but staff still commonly inform parents that their baby will go home around their estimated date of delivery (EDD). Parents need as much notice as possible to prepare for the discharge of their baby, and to gain the necessary skills and knowledge to care for their infant safely. We report the use of routinely collected neonatal data to develop and implement a simple centile chart for date of discharge from hospital, which allows staff and parents to predict the likely discharge date more accurately for preterm infants, most of whom now go home more than 3 weeks before their EDD. This information allows better and timelier planning for discharge of such infants, by parents and staff.