Quality-Improvement Effort to Reduce Hypothermia Among High-Risk Infants on a Mother-Infant Unit

Neonatal hypothermia is common in low birth weight (LBW) (<2500 g) and late-preterm infants (LPIs) (34 0/7-36 6/7 weeks' gestation). It can be a contributory factor for newborn admission to a NICU, resulting in maternal-infant separation and increased resource use. Our objective was to study the efficacy of a quality-improvement bundle of hypothermia preventive measures for LPIs and/or LBW infants in a mother-infant unit.

We conducted plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles aimed at decreasing environmental hypothermia for LPIs and/or LBW infants in a mother-infant unit with no other indications for NICU-level care. Interventions included using warm towels after delivery, a risk identification card, an occlusive hat, delayed timing of first bath, submersion instead of sponge-bathing, and conducting all assessments under a radiant warmer during the initial hours of life. We implemented these interventions in 3 PDSA cycles and followed hypothermia rates by using statistical process control methods.

The baseline mean monthly hypothermia rate among mother-infant unit LPIs and/or LBW infants was 29.8%. Postintervention, the rate fell to 13.3% (-16.5%; P = .002). This decrease occurred in a stepwise fashion in conjunction with the PDSA cycles. In the final, full-intervention period, the rate was 10.0% (-19.8%; P = .0003). A special-cause signal shift was observed in this final period.

Targeted interventions can significantly reduce hypothermia in otherwise healthy LPIs and/or LBW newborns and allow them to safely remain in a mother-infant unit. If applied broadly, such preventive practices could decrease preventable hypothermia in high-risk populations.