A new method for improving quality of care can reduce hospital-acquired infections and chronic respiratory distress with oxygen dependency in premature infants in neonatal ICUs, according to a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) http://www.cmaj.ca/press/cmaj081727.pdf.
The researchers developed the Evidence-based Practice for Improving Quality method and applied it to 12 Canadian Neonatal Network hospitals over a 3-year period. Working in multidisciplinary groups, each hospital developed a list of hospital-specific practice changes and priorities to implement in the neonatal ICU.
The study included 6519 infants divided into 3 groups - infection, pulmonary and a control group. After adopting practice-change strategies, the incidence of hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infection decreased 32% and 45% in the first two groups. Respiratory distress (bronchopulmonary dysplasia) in the pulmonary group decreased 15% and there was a 12% decrease in death from this condition.
Based on pooled hospital data, the authors showed previously that 40% of infections in neonatal ICUs were associated with central lines and central catheters inserted into organs. They looked at individual hospital data which revealed different patterns of infection associated with catheter insertions.
"Our method enables hospitals to select practice changes pertinent to them for targeted intervention," writes principal investigator Dr. Shoo Lee of Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto and coauthors. "This is potentially more efficient and cost-effective."
The study involved researchers from pediatric departments at University of Toronto (U of T); Memorial University; University of Calgary; University of Manitoba; University of Western Ontario; University of British Columbia (UBC); University of Saskatchewan; University of Ottawa; Dalhousie University; Department of Health Care and Epidemiology and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UBC; the Department of Nursing, U of T.