Discharge Readiness Scale for Parents of High-Risk Infants: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Purpose: Discharge readiness for parents of high-risk infants is an important predictor of successful transitions from hospital to home, however its assessments criteria require further refining in Korea. The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the measures available for assessing the discharge readiness for parents of high-risk infant and to evaluate the measurement properties of each instrument.Methods: A literature search for discharge readiness for parents of high-risk infants was performed using 8 electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, KoreaMED, RISS, KISS), using preferred reporting items as per the systematic reviews guidelines. For the quality evaluations of the articles, the COSMIN checklist including content validity, internal structure, and the remaining measurement properties was used.Results: Among the 23 studies selected, 8 studies were excluded due to lack of information on their instrument’s measurement properties while remaining 15 studies were evaluated for the quality of measurement attributes. Overall information on the properties of the instruments was lacking in all studies.Conclusion: None of the instruments evaluated all the relevant measurement properties. The results of this review suggest that it is necessary to develop a discharge readiness instrument that considers the necessary and relevant characteristics required for successful hospital to home transition for parents of high-risk infants.