Effects of the Transition-to-Home Program on Maternal Confidence in Care and Readmission of Late Preterm Infants
Keywords:
Late preterm infants, Maternal confidence in care, Readmission, Transition to homeAbstract
Late preterm infants closely resemble term infants, leading to similar care practices and discharge timing. However, they remain at increased risk for health complications that may result in hospital readmission. This quasi-experimental study aimed to compare maternal confidence in caregiving and readmission rates among late preterm infants between mothers who received the Transition-to-Home Program and those who received routine nursing care. The participants included 54 mother–infant dyads, purposively selected and divided into experimental (n = 27) and control (n = 27) groups. Research instruments consisted of (1) the Transition-to-Home Program comprising three components: readiness assessment, preparation for transition with content tailored to the needs of late preterm infants, and role enhancement through follow-up support via a LINE Official Account; (2) the Maternal Confidence Questionnaire; and (3) the Readmission Record Form. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Mann–Whitney U test, the Friedman test, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
Results showed that the experimental group’s maternal confidence scores increased significantly from baseline (Mdn = 58.00, IQR [48.00, 63.00]) to week 1 after discharge (Mdn = 63.00, IQR [60.00, 65.00]) and week 4 (Mdn = 67.00, IQR [64.00, 70.00]). At both follow-up points, confidence scores were significantly higher than those of the control group (Z = -2.84, p < .05 and Z = -3.52, p < .01, respectively). Readmission rates within 28 days were 11.11% in the experimental group and 14.81% in the control group, with no statistically significant difference.
This study demonstrates that the Transition-to-Home Program effectively enhances maternal confidence in caring for late preterm infants, although it did not significantly reduce readmission rates. Future research should incorporate content on home-management of neonatal jaundice, a major cause of readmission, to further strengthen program outcomes and reduce the burden of rehospitalization.
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