How patients with severe motor and intellectual disability use short-stay service for safety during birth of a sibling

Abstract

　　Objective: We investigated how patients with severe motor and intellectual disability (SMID) used the short-stay service in our institute during the birth of a sibling. Methods: We surveyed the age, length of stay, severity of medical care dependency, prior test use, and frequency of transfer to other hospitals due to worsening physical conditions, in the patients who registered for Nire-no-kai children's clinic short-stay service between April 2012 and December 2015. We analyzed the patients with SMID who used the service when their mothers gave birth to another baby. Results: Eighteen patients were scheduled to use the short-stay service when their mothers gave birth to another baby. Four were unable to use the service, while 14 patients used the service during their mothers' next childbirth. Most patients had severe medical care dependency. Five of them became ill and needed a hospital transfer for further medical treatment. Six patients remained in stable condition without hospital transfer, despite a long-term stay of more than 2 weeks. All 6 patients experienced prior test use of the short-stay service. Conclusions: The longer the length of stay, the higher the risk of worsening physical conditions. Careful preparation is necessary for the safety of patients who are scheduled to use the short-stay service. Living away from their families for a long time is sometimes difficult for patients with severe medical care dependency, especially infants. Therefore, a respite service based on home care should be provided.