Updated on May, 2023
The Kid Experts® At Home monitoring program is now available at all three of the organization’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) locations. The program allows infants in our neonatal units who meet certain criteria to be discharged from the hospital sooner, as expert care and monitoring continues at home. This cutting-edge program within Children’s Minnesota’s Neonatology Program is the only one of its kind in the state of Minnesota.
The Kid Experts® At Home first launched in 2021 as a pilot study at the Children’s Minnesota hospital in St. Paul. Now, the program also serves the Children’s Minnesota hospital in Minneapolis, and the Children’s Minnesota NICU at Mercy hospital in Coon Rapids.
Who can enroll?
Babies born preterm who are gradually learning to feed, but are otherwise generally healthy, can be enrolled in the program.
Why would this be beneficial?
Helping babies discharge earlier from a NICU stay allows families to care for their newborns at home with the full support of Children’s Minnesota’s neonatal expertise.
How does this work?
Babies have a nasogastric tube (NG) present at the time of discharge, and are discharged home on a combination of oral and tube feedings. Families are then provided with a weighing scale, and secure access to a specialized app for a caregiver’s tablet or smartphone. This app allows parents to input information about the baby that is shared with their neonatal team. Families who enroll are trained by the team on proper NG position and oral feeding techniques, as well as how to perform CPR.
The benefits of going home earlier from a NICU stay
“Since the start of The Kid Experts® At Home program, we’ve been able to help over one hundred families get home from the hospital earlier. Through this program, our neonatologists use technology to continue to support healthy preterm infants learn to feed with their families at home,” said Heidi Kamrath, DO, neonatal outpatient clinical services medical director. “While some babies are in the program for a week or more, more often than not, we see how they thrive in their home environment, often needing gavage feeding support for much shorter than anyone would have predicted!”
The Kid Experts® At Home program study
The study evaluated how at-home care impacts babies’ ability to learn to feed, rates of breastfeeding, and overall patient-family satisfaction. Through this completed study, the Children’s Minnesota Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in St. Paul proved that home monitoring could be successfully implemented and proved safe for infants. After close monitoring of 20 patients within a one-year period, results indicated decreased time to full oral feeds.
About the Children’s Minnesota Neonatal Program
The Children’s Minnesota neonatology department encompasses the largest high-risk neonatal care program in the Upper Midwest, with a neonatal team of more than 500 doctors, surgeons and pediatric specialists. With nearly 200 neonatal beds in our hospitals and special care nurseries, we welcome thousands of newborns every year. Our program has 35+ years of expertise in transporting patients, with the Children’s Minnesota Neonatal transport team caring for approximately 500 babies annually, safely transporting them to the neonatal expert care they need. Our NICUs are located in St. Paul, Minneapolis and Coon Rapids (The Mother Baby Center at Mercy Hospital).
