Influence of Partnerships with Nurses and Social Support on Readiness for Discharge among Mothers of Premature Infants

Abstract

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.

Keywords

• premature infants
• mothers
• patient discharge
• social support
• neonatal intensive care units