Safety elements and understanding of guidelines at discharge from Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Abstract

Objective: To compare safety elements and the understanding of guidelines at discharge from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit between public and private hospitals. Method: Cross-sectional study, developed in two Neonatal Intensive Care Units in the Midwest of Brazil. The Checklist for patient safety in preparing for discharge from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Assessment Scale of Patient Understanding about Discharge Guidelines were used for a sample (n=105) of caregivers of newborns. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was performed. Results: The Checklist item “skin care and body hygiene” had greater conformity in the private sector (96.9%) than in the public sector (73.2%) (p-value<0.000) and the understanding of discharge guidelines had an overall mean of 62.9±8.3 points, with no significant difference between the locations. Conclusion: Compliance with safety elements and understanding of guidelines at discharge were equal among hospitals.