Introduction: To be proficient with transplant related care, patients and families require a significant amount of education during their transplant hospitalization to support the high-level management required once they are discharged. At our institution, the transplant multidisciplinary team (TMDT) has been utilized exclusively to provide transplant discharge education. The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to create a dedicated inpatient transplant core nursing team as adjunct to the TMDT’s transplant education.

Method: A group of 10-12 experienced nurses were identified as transplant core nurses (TCN),  received additional transplant specific education. TCN nurses were assigned as primary nurses for consistency upon admission for transplant. The TMDT started discharge education via handouts and streamlined one-on-one sessions. The TCN team provided ongoing reinforcement of the education with coaching and teach back. Forty-eight hours prior to discharge, patients and caregivers performed all cares independently with support from the TCN team.

Results: Although limited, immediate feedback was obtained prior to discharge regarding the TCN team. Parents valued consistency in nursing staff, daily routines, and straight forward explanations. After discharge, the outpatient transplant team will follow up with a brief questionnaire to determine the effectiveness of the education received during the rooming-in process.

Conclusion: This process is the start of a multi-faceted approach that includes development of tools including interactive daily schedules with a fluid goal chart and medication guide, videos with teaching, and electronic quizzes. All will allow families to leave the hospital confident in their child’s ongoing fundamental transplant needs and overall care.