Based on the best available scientific evidence, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recommends the content of information for families before hospital discharge.
After hospitalization in the Neonatal Care Unit, the caregivers of newborns provide continuity of care for their children. The prolonged stay in the Neonatal Care Unit is an opportunity to provide families with quality information for the attentive, sensitive, and appropriate care of their babies. This information can be provided through workshops, printed and audiovisual materials, email, text messages, or other devices.
PAHO recommends providing information about infant bathing techniques, skin-to-skin contact, the benefits of breastfeeding, swaddling methods adapted to local environmental conditions, and the risks that smoking can pose in the home.
Informing caregivers about the importance of vaccinations and the vaccination schedule, as well as scheduled outpatient checkups, will likely facilitate their adherence and timely compliance.
Before discharge, it is important to provide them with tools for neonatal cardiopulmonary resuscitation and define where they should go in case of an emergency or warning signs.
Additionally, caregivers should be informed about the importance of interacting with their babies to help them develop their full potential.
Information to be provided to caregivers of at-risk newborns upon hospital discharge can be found in PAHO's Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Follow-up of At-Risk Newborns.
