A quality improvement project to reduce hypothermia in preterm infants on admission to the neonatal intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE

To study effectiveness of quality improvement interventions in reducing hypothermia in preterm infants on admission to neonatal intensive care unit.

DESIGN

Quality improvement methodologies including multidisciplinary planning and implementation of evidence-based interventions. Data during and post-implementation were collected.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

In total, 84 preterm infants with birth weights ≤ 1500 g delivered during implementation period (October 2008-April 2009) were compared with 168 historical controls and 947 infants in the subsequent 4 years.

INTERVENTION(S): In addition to routine interventions, delivery room temperatures were increased, and use of full-body polyethylene wraps and woollen caps were implemented during initial stabilization. Education and training were provided to reinforce the new interventions.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Primary outcome was incidence of hypothermia and mean admission temperature. Secondary outcomes were rates of intraventricular haemorrhage and mortality.

RESULTS

Incidence of admission hypothermia decreased from 79.4 to 40.5% (P < 0.001), constituting a 49% improvement (OR = 0.177, 95% CI: 0.099-0.316). Mean admission temperature increased from 35.8 ± 0.8°C to 36.5 ± 0.7°C (P < 0.001). Hyperthermia incidence was higher at 6% compared to baseline of 1.3% (P = 0.049). The incidence of admission hypothermia remained stable at 47.4% in the 4 years post-implementation. Rates of intraventricular haemorrhage and mortality remained unchanged. Small for gestation, low 5-min Apgar score and singleton delivery were factors found to be associated with admission hypothermia.

CONCLUSION

The implementation of evidence-based best practices resulted in significant reduction in admission hypothermia in preterm infants, which persisted for 4 years post-implementation. The practices have since become standard of care in our institution.