Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate partnerships with nurses, social support and readiness for discharge among mothers of premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and to examine the factors associated with readiness for discharge.
Methods
A survey was conducted among 85 mothers of premature infants hospitalized in a NICU in Seoul, Korea. The collected data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, the t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson’ correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression using SPSS version 25.0.
Results
The results of the regression analysis showed that partnerships with nurses (β=.32, p=.011) and parenting experience (β=.32, p=.001) were significantly associated with readiness for discharge.
Conclusion
To improve the readiness for discharge among mothers of premature infants, developing strategies to strengthen their partnership with nurses and to provide family-centered care will be needed.

Citations

• Enhancing nurse-parent partnership for NICU nurses by investigating multi-modal learning with a hybrid simulation approach that integrates metaverses and real-world training
  Hee Young Kim, Soon Hyun Myung, In Young Cho
  Nurse Education in Practice.2025; 84: 104294.     CrossRef
• Spousal support, parent–nurse partnership and caregiver burden among parents of children with chronic diseases: A cross‐sectional study
  Jihye Kim, Heemin Chae, Yoonjung Kim
  Journal of Clinical Nursing.2024; 33(7): 2649.     CrossRef
• Research trends in nurse–parent partnership: A scoping review of the paediatric field in South Korea
  Seo Jin Park, Ji Yeong Yun, Jina Lee, In Young Cho
  Nursing Open.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Association of nurse–mother partnerships with parenting stress and family resilience among South Korean mothers of children with congenital heart disease
  Youna Chang, Jiyoung Lim, Hye Won Yoon
  Journal of Pediatric Nursing.2024; 79: 16.     CrossRef
• Fostering Partnership Between Pediatric Nurses and Parents of High-Risk Infants: A Mixed Method Approach
  In Young Cho, Won-Oak Oh
  Journal of Child and Family Studies.2023; 32(9): 2681.     CrossRef
• Effects of a Noncontact Visit Program in the NICU for the Prevention of COVID-19
  Hye Young Ahn, Hee Jee Jo, Hyun Jeong Ko
  Healthcare.2023; 11(15): 2152.     CrossRef
• Discharge Readiness Scale for Parents of High-Risk Infants: A Systematic Review
  Ki-Eun Kim, Hyejung Lee, Na-Young Jeon
  Journal of The Korean Society of Maternal and Chil.2022; 26(4): 205.     CrossRef
• Analysis of the educational needs of nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit for developmental supportive care
  Da-Ae Shin, Kyung-Sook Bang
  The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing .2021; 27(3): 261.     CrossRef
• Addressing the Needs of Mothers with Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Qualitative Secondary Analysis
  Ah Rim Kim
  Asian Nursing Research.2020; 14(5): 327.     CrossRef

Purpose
To investigate factors that may affect the method of feeding among preterm infants at 4 weeks after discharge.
Methods
This study included 222 mother-infant dyads born before a gestational age of 37 weeks. The feeding method and general medical characteristics of the participants were assessed at 4 weeks after discharge using a structured questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine which factors were associated with breastfeeding at home.
Results
Of the 222 infants who qualified for the study, 71 (32.9%) continued to receive breastmilk at 4 weeks post-discharge. Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that breastfeeding at 4 weeks post-discharge was associated with higher breastfeeding self-efficacy, vaginal delivery (experience), direct breastfeeding in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), gestational age between 30 and 34 weeks, and breastmilk consumption in the NICU. The following factors were associated with mixed feeding at 4 weeks post-discharge: being employed, having higher breastfeeding self-efficacy, and direct breastfeeding in the NICU.
Conclusion
NICU nurses should provide opportunities for direct breastfeeding during hospitalization and support breastfeeding to enhance breastfeeding self-efficacy. These factors may help to ensure the continuation of breastfeeding after discharge. Moreover, factors that affect breastfeeding should be considered when providing interventions.

Citations

• Identifying Latent Topics and Trends in Premature Infant–Related Nursing Studies Using a Latent Dirichlet Allocation Method
  Myeong Seon Lee, Seonah Lee
  CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing.2023; 41(12): 957.     CrossRef