Back transport of infants to community hospitals: 12 years’ experience of an intervention to prepare parents for their infants’ transfer from neonatal intensive care to community hospital

Effective regionalized neonatal intensive care includes back transport of stable infants to community hospitals. This transition can be pleasant or frightening for the family, and psychological preparation is critical. The aim of this study was to evaluate an intervention performed in collaboration with the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and community hospitals (CH) in the northern health care region of Sweden. Questionnaires were sent to families who had an infant transported from NICU to CH and discharged to home over three periods from 1994 to 2007. Families rated information about the CH more accurate, reception at the CH better, and their preparation for the transition better when they were contacted by the CH during their stay at the NICU. Both NICU and CH staff have a responsibility to facilitate back transport by promoting communication between families and staff at the hospital to which they are to be transported.