Murthy P, Dosani A, Sikdar KC, Koleade A, Rai B, Scotland J, Lodha A. Parental perception of neonatal retro-transfers from level 3 to level 2 neonatal intensive care units.
J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2021;
35:5546-5554. [PMID:
33586586 DOI:
10.1080/14767058.2021.1887125]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
The primary objective of this study was to determine the overall parental satisfaction with retro-transfers from a level 3 to a level 2 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The secondary objectives were to explore factors that caused parental satisfaction associated with retro-transfer and investigate the factors that could be modified to improve the retro-transfer process.
METHODS
This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. Questionnaires were mailed to all parents of infants transferred from level 3 to level 2 NICUs from 2016 to 2017. Independent samples t-tests, Spearman's rank correlations, and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with parental retro-transfer satisfaction.
RESULTS
Our response rate was 39.1% (n = 140). Of all parents, 64.29% parents were extremely satisfied with the overall retro-transfer process. In our bivariate analyses, multiple factors were found to be strongly associated with parental retro-transfer satisfaction, including parental level of education, the amount of notice and rationale given for the retro-transfer and the level of parental communication and engagement with their infant's healthcare team before and after transfer. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that when questions regarding the retro-transfer were answered and the level 2 NICU team demonstrated a concrete understanding of the infant's medical issues and history, parental satisfaction increased.
CONCLUSION
Majority of parents were satisfied with the retro-transfer process. However, close collaboration and ongoing and open lines of communication between parents and the level 3 NICU healthcare teams will increase parental retro-transfer satisfaction rates.
Collapse