Phototherapy at home can ensure that a newborn can go home sooner or stay at home after a home birth. Understandably, attention for phototherapy at home is growing. Several hospitals are already working with it. Many others are committed to being able to offer this in the short term.
The newborns in question must meet inclusion criteria with hyperbilirubinemia. Important conditions for phototherapy at home are that the safety for the child and the responsibility of those involved are well guaranteed. This includes being able to sleep safely, safe use of the equipment, and electrical safety.
The BiliCocoon BAG is a phototherapy device that can be used well for home use. This works differently for each hospital, but there are a number of standard steps that apply. Below is an example of the approach.
Project leader
When there is interest in phototherapy at home in the hospital, we advise appointing someone from the department as project leader. It works well if one person keeps an overview of the status and progress of the implementation. Sometimes phototherapy at home is used as a graduation project; a nice assignment to complete a course with. In other cases, a nurse practitioner is often the project leader.
Stakeholders and agreements
Many disciplines are involved in setting up phototherapy at home. It is important to involve everyone in the project in a timely manner. Consider:
- pediatricians
- nurse practitioners / physician assistants
- nurses
- department of medical technology
- hygiene / infection prevention
- blood collection service of the hospital or the region
- organization of midwives in the region
- organization of maternity care in the region
Some of these stakeholders have an active role, such as assessing bili values, instructing parents, or technically checking the device. With maternity care, we often see that it is nice if they are also well informed. They often fulfill an observing role.
The responsibilities surrounding phototherapy are divided in the project group. Think, for example, of the maintenance of the equipment.
Process
With input from all parties involved, a setup can be made for the process of phototherapy at home. You can read an example of this in a following blog.
