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  • Quality Improvement Article
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Improving safe sleep practices in an urban inpatient newborn nursery and neonatal intensive care unit

Journal of Perinatology volume 42, pages 515–521 (2022)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective

To improve safe sleep compliance in a newborn nursery (NN) and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to >80% in 1 year.

Study design

Prospective quality improvement study of infants admitted to a NN and NICU. Interventions were targeted at parent education, staff education, and system processes.

Results

Compliance with safe sleep improved to >80% in both units. Tracking of process measures revealed NICU parents received safe sleep education 98–100% of the time. No change was observed in the balancing measures. Transfers from the NN to the NICU for temperature instability did not increase. Parent satisfaction with discharge preparedness did not change (98.2% prior to and 99.6% after).

Conclusion

We achieved improved compliance with safe sleep practices in our NN and NICU through education of staff and parents and improved system processes. We believe this will translate to improved safe sleep practices used by parents at home.

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Fig. 1: Timeline of interventions and barriers encountered.
Fig. 2: Run chart indicating compliance with individual components of safe sleep.
Fig. 3: Control chart (P-chart) indicating percent compliant with safe sleep in newborn nursery.
Fig. 4: Control chart (P-chart) indicating percent compliant with safe sleep in NICU.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the Children’s Mercy Hospital Internal Community Benefits Capacity Building Support Program for the resources provided to implement our initiative at Truman Medical Center Newborn Nursery and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. We would also like to acknowledge the Children’s Mercy Medical Writing Center for editing this manuscript.

Funding

This initiative was funded through a $10,000 award received from the Children’s Mercy Hospital Internal Community Benefits Capacity Building Support Program. No other sources of funding were secured.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United States

    Megan H. Tucker, Trudy Koons, Rebecca Palmer, Eugenia K. Pallotto & Elizabeth Simpson

  2. General Academic Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United States

    Cristy Toburen

  3. Department of Neonatology, Truman Medical Center, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United States

    Carol Petrini

  4. Department of Neonatology, Children’s Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States

    Rebecca Palmer

  5. Department of Neonatology, Levine Children’s Hospital, Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC, United States

    Eugenia K. Pallotto

Authors
  1. Megan H. Tucker
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  4. Carol Petrini
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  7. Elizabeth Simpson
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Contributions

MHT conceptualized and designed the project, collected compliance data, played an important role in interpreting the results, drafted the initial manuscript, reviewed and revised the manuscript and approved the final version. CT conceptualized and designed the project, collected compliance data, managed databases, played an important role in interpreting the results, reviewed and revised the manuscript and approved the final version. TK conceptualized and designed the project, collected compliance data, reviewed and revised the manuscript and approved the final version. CP conceptualized and designed the project, collected compliance data, managed databases, reviewed and revised the manuscript and approved the final version. BP played an important role in interpreting the results, reviewed and revised the manuscript and approved the final version. EKP assisted with the conceptualization and project design and reviewed and revised the manuscript and approved the final version. ES conceptualized and designed the project, collected compliance data, reviewed and revised the manuscript and approved the final version. All authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Megan H. Tucker.

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Tucker, M.H., Toburen, C., Koons, T. et al. Improving safe sleep practices in an urban inpatient newborn nursery and neonatal intensive care unit. J Perinatol 42, 515–521 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-021-01288-z

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