Influences of a remote monitoring program of home nasogastric tube feeds on transition from NICU to home.

Abstract

The transition from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to the home is complex and multifaceted for families and infants, particularly those with ongoing medical needs. Our hospital utilizes a remote monitoring program called Growing @ Home (G@H) to support discharge from the NICU with continued nasogastric tube feeds. We aim to describe the experience of the transition from NICU to home for families enrolled in G@H. Using a semi-structured interviewing technique, parents of infants discharged on G@H were interviewed at NICU discharge, at 1-month, and at 6-months after NICU discharge. Interviews were recorded and transcribed into data analysis software. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. Codes were assigned to describe key elements of the interviews and used to identify major themes. Parents (n=11) identified three major themes when discussing the effect of G@H on the transition to home. The program provided a means of escape from the NICU, allowing families to stop living split lives between their homes and the NICU. It acted as a middle ground between the restrictive yet supportive NICU environment, and the normal yet isolated home environment. G@H served as a safety net for families, providing the continued connection to the NICU for their still fragile infants. G@H utilizes telehealth to positively support the complex transition from NICU to home for families and infants discharged with nasogastric tube feeds.