To explore grandparent caregivers’ experiences and practical difficulties while preparing for preterm infants’ discharge from a NICU.
Approach:
Participants: Purposive sampling recruited 15 grandparent caregivers of preterm infants hospitalised at a tertiary hospital in Jiangsu Province, China, from March to May 2025.
Data collection and analysis: Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews on the infants’ discharge day and analysed the data using content analysis.
Key Findings:
Caregivers described emotional deprivation and marginalisation from family involvement, alongside happiness about bringing the infant home and concern about the infant’s long-term health.
They reported limits to the usefulness of prior caregiving experience, feeling overwhelmed by online information, and difficulty judging specialised care practices for preterm infants.
Caregivers wanted more family support amid generational differences, more community resources, and continued professional contact.
Interpretation:
The authors report that grandparent caregivers experience emotional difficulties and uncertainty about postdischarge care, and call for psychological support, caregiving education and skills training, and more comprehensive home-care guidance.
Conclusion:
The study recommends formally including intergenerational caregivers in discharge-preparation education.
