Background:The Information-Based Discharge Preparation Service (IBDPS) supports parents of preterm infants during the transition from hospital to home, but its effectiveness has not been widely studied.
Objective:To evaluate the impact of IBDPS on parental readiness, caregiving skills, stress, satisfaction, infant development, readmission rates, length of stay, and hospital costs.
Design: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) in a NICU in Jiangsu Province, China.
Participants: Preterm infants and their parents.
Methods:Participants are randomly assigned to receive either IBDPS plus usual care (intervention group) or usual care alone (control group). Data on parental and infant outcomes are collected at various stages from admission to one month post-discharge, along with hospital metrics like length of stay and readmission rates.
Infants with a gestational age of less than 37 weeks at birth.
Written informed consent obtained from legal guardians.
Neonates delivered at the study hospital or transferred within the first 24 hours of life.
Presence of major life-threatening congenital anomalies.
Critical illness or conditions requiring immediate intensive intervention.
Significant developmental abnormalities, including but not limited to severe congenital malformations, metabolic disorders, or central nervous system anomalies.
Infants who experience abnormal discharge due to treatment abandonment, death, or transfer to another facility.
The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University
Lead sponsor
Chinese Medical Association
Collaborator