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CS346
Evolution Of The Discharge Coordinator Role In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
By: Ruth Hynes; Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
For further information, please contact: ruth.hynes@childrens.harvard.edu
Purpose: In 2006, the Neonatal ICU at Children's Hospital Boston’s recognized the increasing medical complexity of infants being discharged home. To optimize family-centered-care and a safe effective discharge process, the role of Discharge Coordinator was created.
Description: The Discharge Coordinator allowed one person to serve as the primary contact for all families and professional staff. Working with the primary care team, the responsibilities of this registered nurse functioning at an expert level include the organization and/or creation of individualized discharge teaching materials. These include information about a neonate's diagnosis, their discharge medication (including side effects) and ongoing therapies. Tracking tools were implemented for documentation of all family education. This led to improved continuity in family teaching and implementation of care. Inpatient interviews with each family allowed for better patient advocacy and improved staff-family communication. Follow-up phone calls are initiated 48-72 hours post discharge and are focused to evaluate each family's comfort level at home and their discharge experience. Staff were surveyed anonymously before the initiation of the discharge coordinator role and will be re-surveyed at the one year anniversary of the role.
Evaluation and Outcomes: Post discharge family phone interviews indicate that parents feel better prepared to care for their infant post NICU discharge. Discharge CPR tracking also indicates improved compliance. The Discharge Coordinator role has been successfully incorporated into our model of care delivery.
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