Neonatal Medical Home 'Perfect Fit' After Intensive Care
The patient-centered medical home is ideal for babies discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), say those in charge of neonatal care at the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City.
"It fits this population very well, and we believe we are the only ones with this model in the country," Debbie Pennington, BSN, RN, clinical program coordinator for the home, said in an interview with Medscape Medical News.
She and her colleagues discussed their program at the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) 30th Annual Educational Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
"Preterm babies are often discharged with a number of unresolved medical issues, which require careful, coordinated follow-up," said Prabhu Parimi, MD, medical director of the NICU and neonatal medical home at University of Kansas Hospital. They are at increased risk for physical, neurodevelopmental, and behavioral issues during infancy and childhood.
