Discharge timing, outpatient follow-up, and home care of late-preterm and early-term infants.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the timing of hospital discharge, time to outpatient follow-up, and home care practices (breastfeeding initiation and continuation, tobacco smoke exposure, supine sleep position) for late-preterm (LPT; 34 0/7-36 6/7 weeks) and early-term (ET; 37 0/7-38/6/7 weeks) infants with term infants.

METHODS: We analyzed 2000-2008 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. χ(2) Analyses were used to measure differences in maternal and infant characteristics, hospital discharge, outpatient care, and home care among LPT, ET, and term infants. We calculated adjusted risk ratios for the risk of adverse care outcomes among LPT and ET infants compared with term infants.

RESULTS: In the adjusted analysis, LPT infants were less likely to be discharged early compared with term infants, whereas there was no difference for ET infants (risk ratio [RR; 95% confidence interval (CI)]: 0.65 [0.54-0.79]; 0.95 [0.88-1.02]). [corrected]. LPT and ET infants were more likely to have timely outpatient follow-up (1.07 [1.06-1.08]; 1.02 [1.02-1.03]), more likely to experience maternal tobacco smoke exposure (1.09 [1.05-1.14]; 1.08 [1.06-1.11]), less likely to be initially breastfed (0.95 [0.94-0.97]; 0.98 [0.97-0.98]), less likely to be breastfed for ≥10 weeks (0.88 [0.86-0.90]; 0.94 [0.93-0.96]), and less likely to be placed in a supine sleep position (0.95 [0.93-0.97]; 0.97 [0.96-0.98]).

CONCLUSIONS: Given that LPT and ET infants bear an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, greater efforts are needed to ensure safe and healthy posthospitalization and home care practices for these vulnerable infants.