8/11/2019 Hospital To Home Med Guide

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By Casey Archibaldcarchibald@postregister.com

For parents o in ants in the NICU, making the transitiohospital to home can be a rightening experience. Mannewborns have been swarmed by neonatologists, reg

nurses, therapists, pharmacists, lactation specialists and othergivers or weeks or even months be ore the in ant is ready to Assuming all that responsibility and mastering special equipmespecially ragile babies can cause a lot o anxiety or parent

In recent years, the NICU at Eastern Idaho Regional MCenter was rebuilt and included the addition o two tranrooms or amilies. It is in those rooms where parents cathe night and adjust to taking care or their critical in anttaking their child home.

HospitalhometoTransition rooms prepare

families to leave the NICU

Lorri Anderson, Director of Womens Services for Labor andDelivery at EIRMC , and Tina Robins, Manager of the NICU atEIRMC, talk about transitions newborns from the hospital tohome. (Casey Archibald/carchibald@postregister.com)

8/11/2019 Hospital To Home Med Guide

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A lot o the babies go home on home oxygen and home mon-tors, said ina Robins, Manager o the NICU at EIRMC. So not

only do [parents] have to get used to taking care o the critical in-ant, they also have to get used to the medical equipment too. [Teir

ime in the transition room] gives them the opportunity to use theactual equipment they will be using be ore they go home. Tat way,

something happens or i they have a question there is somebodyright outside the door to help them.

Te rooms came in the nick o time, because with the recent ad-dition o a perinatologist to the hospital, EIRMC has seen about 39percent more critical care babies than they did previously.

We are seeing so many more in ants in our NICU because nowour population does not have to travel to Salt Lake to get the typeo expertise they need be ore the baby is born. We are thrilled abouthat, said Lorri Anderson, Director o Womens Services or Labor

and Delivery at EIRMC.Te transition rooms are comparable to mini apartments and

have several amenities like a bed, television, recliner, bathroom, abassinet, a table, chairs, a couch and emergency equipment in casesomething goes wrong.

Anderson said most o the time amilies only need to stay in theransition rooms or one or two nights be ore they eel ready to takeheir baby home. Te use o the rooms is ree o charge and is usually

ordered by a physician.Robins said at times it can be difficult to schedule the rooms in

advance because sometimes in ants will improve dramatically in ashort period o time.

We do try to give [parents] at least our days heads up; manyimes we can tell when they are close to being ready to go home,

said Robins. We tell them to start bringing the car seat to thpital with them and to start making arrangement to take someoff o work to spend in the transition rooms.

Te nurses and other caregivers in the NICU ask that parenting the transition rooms clear their schedule or a day or two can spend that time in their room and ully concentrate on lehow to properly care or their child. Tis may include gettingoff o work, canceling appointments and hiring a babysitte

amily already has children at home. No one under 18 is into the NICU in an effort to reduce the risk o in ection.

We dont keep [the babies] longer than necessary, said Ason. Our NICU has the reputation o being able to send thbies home as soon as possible. We know the baby will do bthe home environment.

Both Anderson and Robins agree that being in their occuplead to close-knit relationships with the amilies they work w

It is so grati ying to see these babies go home. We trulthis journey with them. When you can see them get readyhome afer all that work its so exciting. Te parents are so exto start their li e with their new baby. Tere are a lot o eminvolved or nurses and amilies when those babies get to go

Anderson said it is ullling and rewarding to watch babirom as little as three pounds to six or more pounds by the tim

leave the hospital. She said the transition rooms have helpedwell as other registered nurses to pass along their care to a a

We not only take intensive care o the baby, but we groilies, said Anderson. Tats our business, and thats what wIts not nurses caring or in ants; its a team approach betweeand amily members.n

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