Association releases new pediatric discharge guides.

An expert panel convened by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in Elk Grove Village, IL, says traditional guidelines for the discharge of high-risk newborns are inadequate because they can't be tailored easily to many individual cases. In its own just-released guidelines, the AAP distinguishes among four categories of high-risk newborns, including preterm infants, infants who require technological support, those at risk because of family issues, and those whose irreversible condition may result in early death. According to the guidelines, any effective discharge plan for high-risk infants should include the following six steps: Parental education, implementation of primary care, evaluation of unresolved medical problems, development of the home care plan, identification and mobilization of surveillance and support services, and determination and designation of follow-up care.