Section II - Discharge Planning and Home Management
When methylxanthines alone are prescribed
Assessment includes:
- Parent understanding of the diagnosis
- Parent understanding and acceptance of the purposes, responsibilities, risks and benefits of methylxanthines
- Parent ability to carry out the home care plan
- Social support, coping abilities and available respite services
- Financial resources to support outpatient and home care needs
Parent education includes:
- Age appropriate (infant or child) CPR as approved by the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross
- Medication dose, administration, action and side effects
- Safe storage and a plan for handling overdose
- Reporting possible side effects or evidence of poor drug efficacy
- Method by which methylxanthine dose is regulated and a plan for follow-up blood levels
- Appropriately trained alternate caregivers
- Instruction in normal infant/child cardiorespiratory patterns and methods of assessing these patterns
- Plan for regular follow-up of apnea, including physician appointments and telephone contacts
- Referral for continuing care
- Community health nursing (CNN) service, from either a public health department (PHD) or a home health agency (HHA) that employs nurses depending on the needs and resources of the patient and family and the services available from those agencies in the family's communit
- Other referrals which might be considered after assessment include: Department of Social Services (county office); Community Mental Health; Public Health Department; Apnea Program; Children's Special Health Care Services; parenting groups