Discharge planning is the process of working with a family to help them successfully transition from the NICU to home. To this end, each family will need to participate in a comprehensive discharge planning program that has been tailored to their and their infant’s specific needs.

The first section section covers basic information and is meant to emphasize content that every family will need, without taking into account each family/infant’s specific needs.

In preparing for discharge, your team will have to set clear criteria for what each family and infant need to accomplish to be ready to transition from the NICU to home.

The NICU team should work with the family and confirm that the family understands the NICU discharge planning process. It is important that families understand that it is difficult to plan for a specific discharge date because discharge readiness is often conditional (e.g., the infants has no further spells, is able to gain weight, pass a car seat test, etc.)

The fluid and uncertain nature of discharge readiness can be a source of frustration for families. To help minimize frustration and avoid misunderstandings, it is important to have consistent messaging, emphasizing that there can be wide variations in when an infant is discharged based on clinical indications and medical opinions.