NICU discharge preparation and transition planning: foreword

Parents whose babies are admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) need support. Whether their baby’s stay is brief or long, uncomplicated or complex, a NICU stay changes how they care for their infant and how they will parent once they are discharged. While we know a NICU stay is traumatic for most parents, the consequences of a family’s time spent in the NICU do not need to be negative ones. Supportive NICU teams can use the time a family is in the NICU to engage in a well-designed discharge preparation and transition planning program. These programs can have a lasting positive impact on both the infant’s health and the family’s wellbeing.