From hospital to home: Rooming-in program provides peace of mind for families and nurses

A novel rooming-in program at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta provided greater peace of mind for families of infants with critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) and the pediatric nurses preparing the infants for discharge. The transition to home for infants who require complex care can be overwhelming for caregivers, who need to absorb large quantities of unfamiliar material in a short time. They often need to quickly gain skills, such as safe medication administration, feeding regimens, respiratory management, wound care, and how to recognize early signs and symptoms of worsening issues. The hospital's 35-bed pediatric cardiac acute care unit developed the program in 2019 as a way to address gaps in caregiver knowledge and better involve caregivers in the care plan. Rooming-in allows a caregiver to remain with their infant for 24 hours prior to discharge, giving them an opportunity to learn specific skills related to their child's care and practice them under a nurses' guidance.