A management indicator system for preterm infant transitional care was developed, comprising 3 primary, 17 secondary, and 42 tertiary indicators with significant expert consensus (p<0.05).
A robust, expert-consensus-based management indicator system was developed to standardize and enhance transitional care for preterm infants.
p-value: p=<0.05
Background The transition from hospital to home represents a critical and often perilous period for preterm infants. Inadequate discharge preparation frequently leads to adverse outcomes and preventable readmissions. Objective This study aimed to develop and evaluate a robust management indicator system to standardize and enhance the quality of transitional care for this vulnerable population. Methods A sequential multiphase study was conducted, beginning with a systematic literature review to establish a preliminary indicator pool. A two‐round Delphi survey involving 21 neonatal care experts was then used to refine the indicators and achieve consensus. Finally, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was employed to determine the relative weight of each indicator. Results The response rate for both Delphi rounds was 100%. The expert consensus reliability (Cr) was 0.967 and 0.964 for the two rounds, respectively, with consensus scores (Cs) of 0.971 for both. Kendall’s W coefficients were 0.385 and 0.187 (both p < 0.05), indicating statistically significant agreement among experts across both rounds. The finalized management indicator system comprises 3 equally weighted primary indicators (0.333 each), 17 secondary indicators, and 42 tertiary indicators. Notably, at the secondary level, “Transitional care readiness” (0.234) received the highest weight. Among the tertiary indicators, the highest weight was assigned to “Emergency preparedness skills” (0.162), followed by “Medication administration guidance” (0.054). Conclusion The management indicator system developed in this study demonstrates methodological rigor and expert consensus, offering a standardized, weighted framework for assessing transitional care readiness, guiding transitional care processes, and informing evidence‐based management practices for preterm infants. The system’s emphasis on emergency preparedness and family capability assessment highlights areas that may warrant greater attention in current discharge planning approaches, pending further empirical validation.
Meng et al. (Thu,) conducted a other in Preterm infants requiring transitional care (n=21). Management indicator system development (Delphi and AHP approach) was evaluated on Expert consensus and indicator weights (p=<0.05). A management indicator system for preterm infant transitional care was developed, comprising 3 primary, 17 secondary, and 42 tertiary indicators with significant expert consensus (p<0.05).