Peer-reviewed article
The impact of interventions based on “continuing nursing care under the Internet Plus Health Education model” on the readiness of families with premature infants for discharge and the home nurture environment
Liying Zhang, Guiling Yao, Wuchan Zheng, Weijie Wang, Min Zhu et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study tested an Internet Plus Health Education model that provides continuous guidance to families caring for premature infants after discharge from hospital. Two hundred families were randomly assigned to receive either standard care or the new model, which delivers personalized support through messaging apps like WeChat. Families in the intervention group showed better readiness for discharge, greater confidence in caring for their infants, higher satisfaction, and their babies grew better at home.
Key points
- Caregiver self-efficacy was significantly higher in the intervention group (32.76 vs 26.89, P < 0.05)
- Discharge readiness scores were substantially higher with the intervention (24.76 vs 18.12, P < 0.05)
- Infant growth outcomes were better in the intervention group (P < 0.05)
- 97% of families in the intervention group accepted the Internet Plus model compared to 85% in the control group (P = 0.003)
- Overall caregiver satisfaction was significantly higher with the intervention (4.56 vs 3.30, P < 0.05)
Limitations
The study does not report longer-term follow-up data beyond initial discharge or assess whether improved outcomes persist over time. The document provides limited detail on the specific content and frequency of the health education interventions delivered through the model.
Abstract
Premature infants face major post-discharge challenges in growth, neurodevelopment, and home care. Limited caregiver skills and closed neonatal intensive care unit management increase risks of infection and readmission. The Internet Plus Health Education model provides continuous, convenient, and personalized guidance (e.g., via WeChat). This study evaluated its effect on family readiness for discharge, the home nurture environment, caregiver self-efficacy, satisfaction, infant growth, and caregiver acceptance. Two hundred preterm infants discharged from our hospital between March 2023 and April 2024 were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 100) or observation group (n = 100). Outcomes included caregiver self-efficacy, readiness for discharge, satisfaction, infant weight and height, and caregiver acceptance of the model. The observation group showed higher self-efficacy (32.76 ± 4.12 vs 26.89 ± 3.98), discharge readiness (24.76 ± 2.89 vs 18.12 ± 2.03), and satisfaction scores (overall 4.56 ± 0.42 vs 3.30 ± 0.60, all P < .05). Infant growth was greater in the observation group (weight 3.80 ± 0.40 kg vs 3.80 ± 0.40 kg baseline-adjusted; height 54.10 ± 2.60 cm vs 54.10 ± 2.60 cm, P < .05). Acceptance of the Internet Plus Nursing model was also higher (97.0% vs 85.0%, χ2 = 8.791, P = .003). Continuing nursing care under the Internet Plus Health Education model significantly improved discharge readiness, home care environment, caregiver self-efficacy and satisfaction, and infant growth. The model is well accepted and offers valuable implications for preterm infant care.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Continuing nursing care delivered through an Internet Plus Health Education model providing continuous, convenient, and personalized guidance via WeChat and similar platforms
- Population
- Families with premature infants (n=200; intervention n=100, control n=100) discharged from hospital between March 2023 and April 2024
Key finding
Caregiver self-efficacy increased from 26.89 to 32.76 (P < 0.05)