Parental Readiness for Discharge and Home Care of Premature Infants: A Comparison of Mothers and Fathers

Background: Premature infants require specialized care following discharge from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), making adequate parental preparation essential for ensuring safe and effective home care.

Aim: This study aimed to assess and compare the readiness of mothers and fathers of premature infants for discharge and home care and to identify factors associated with parental readiness.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 39 mothers and 39 fathers of premature infants admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of a tertiary maternity and children's training and research hospital (blinded for peer review). Sociodemographic characteristics and readiness for discharge and home care were assessed using validated instruments. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test and the Mann–Whitney U test.

Results: Mothers and fathers demonstrated similarly high levels of readiness for discharge and home care. After adjustment for differences in the maximum possible scores of the assessment scales, no statistically significant difference was observed in overall readiness scores between mothers and fathers. Previous neonatal intensive care experience was reported more frequently by mothers (25.6%) than fathers (7.7%). Fathers who perceived the care of premature infants as similar to that of term infants had significantly higher scores in the nutritional support subdomain.

Conclusion: Both mothers and fathers demonstrated high levels of readiness for discharge and home care. Fathers’ perceptions of premature infant care were significantly associated with their readiness, particularly in the domain of nutritional support. These findings highlight the importance of family-centered discharge education and targeted interventions to strengthen fathers’ caregiving competencies.

Keywords: Home nursing, infant, intensive care units, neonatal, parents, patient discharge, premature