5 steps to getting you and your medically fragile child home from the hospital

Complex Corner: This is the first in a series of blogs specifically written for parents of children who have complex conditions that require a variety of medical specialists.

By Ruchi Kaushik, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
Director, ComP-CaN (Comprehensive Peds for Complex Needs)
Baylor College of Medicine

Taking a newborn home from the hospital can be anxiety-provoking for most families, so taking a medically fragile infant or child home after being in the hospital for several weeks is obviously daunting.

Families meet a variety of doctors, nurses, physical/occupational/speech therapists, respiratory staff, case managers, and social workers – it is impossible to remember everyone’s names, much less what they just advised you to do before leaving the room.  That said, I often tell caregivers that hospital staff have done a superb job of saving a child’s life; our next task, as a team, is to prepare a child for school.  In simple terms, going home is one transition to a new normal, until the next transition.