[Real-time safety audits in a neonatal unit].

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Intensive Care
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Auditing

Background:

• Random audits are crucial safety tools for preventing adverse events in hospitals.
• Their application in hospital settings, particularly for critical care, remains limited.
• This study focuses on neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) to assess audit effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the availability of essential resuscitation information and materials for each patient in a NICU using random safety audits.
• To identify if patient, temporal, or locational factors influence the implementation of resuscitation recommendations.

Main Methods:

• A prospective observational study was conducted in a level III-C NICU throughout 2012.
• Audits assessed written information, endotracheal tubes, masks, ambu bags, and laryngoscopes.
• Twice-weekly random audits evaluated technological resources and procedures for appropriate overall use.

Main Results:

• 296 audits were performed with high inter-observer agreement (kappa=0.93).
• Appropriate availability of resuscitation information and materials was observed in 62.5% of cases.
• Masks and ambu bags showed high compliance (97.3%), while usage varied by day (weekends higher) and quarter.

Conclusions:

• Only 62.5% of NICU patients had readily available resuscitation information and materials for emergencies.
• Random safety audits effectively identified opportunities for improving critical care readiness.
• Systematic audits are vital for enhancing patient safety in neonatal intensive care.