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  • Quality Improvement Article
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Quality Improvement

Variation in quality report viewing by providers and correlation with NICU quality metrics

Abstract

Background:

To examine variation in quality report viewing and assess correlation between provider report viewing and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) quality.

Methods:

Variation in report viewing sessions for 129 California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative NICUs was examined. NICUs were stratified into tertiles based on their antenatal steroid (ANS) use and hospital-acquired infection (HAI) rates to compare report viewing session counts.

Results:

The number of report viewing sessions initiated by providers varied widely over a 2-year period (median=11; mean=25.5; s.d.=45.19 sessions). Report viewing was not associated with differences in ANS use. Facilities with low HAI rates had less frequent report viewing. Facilities with high report views had significant improvements in HAI rates over time.

Conclusions:

Available audit and feedback reports are utilized inconsistently across California NICUs despite evidence that report viewing is associated with improvements in quality of care delivery. Further studies are needed for reports to reach their theoretical potential.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the support staff and administrators at the CPQCC at Stanford University for collecting and maintaining the database of provider quality metrics used in this study. Financial support was also provided by the American Pediatric Society and Society for Pediatric Research along with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The CPQCC at Stanford University supported all phases of this study. NW was supported by the American Pediatric Society and Society for Pediatric Research. The project was also supported by grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (grant numbers K23HD068400 and R01HD083368). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD or NIH.

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Correspondence to H C Lee.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Wahid, N., Bennett, M., Gould, J. et al. Variation in quality report viewing by providers and correlation with NICU quality metrics. J Perinatol 37, 893–898 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2017.44

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