NICU Developmental Follow Up Referral Process in Washington State

Download or read book NICU Developmental Follow Up Referral Process in Washington State written by Daisy Parra-Padilla and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understanding the referral process in Washington across different organizations provides insights about the challenges, the referrals gaps and methods used by Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), NICU developmental follow up programs, and early intervention services to serve premature and low-birthweight infants at risk for developmental delays. Very preterm and very low birth weight children are at an increased risk of experiencing academic challenge, have a higher risk of behavioral concerns, and these delays seem to follow infants into young adulthood. Studies found that of the 94% of infants referred for services at discharge from the NICU only 44% received a therapy and of those that didn’t receive services 53% were found to have developmental delays at 2 years of age. The utilization of intervention programs like NICU developmental follow up program and early intervention resources has shown to greatly improve developmental outcomes. The purpose of the project is to provide a qualitative descriptive analysis of the referral process by NICUs and NICU developmental follow up programs. Purposeful and snowball sampling recruitment technique was used, and data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Five staff members from four NICU hospitals throughout Washington state participated, and thematic analysis was utilized to analyze the data. The results showed communication is an essential component though all the stages of the referral process from resources and funding to interagency/department communication for provide infants quality healthcare to communicating with families with families early and often.