The wake project: Improving safe sleep practices in a neonatal intensive care unit

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Quality Improvement
• Infant Safe Sleep Practices
• Public Health Initiatives

Background:

• Bronx County, NYC, has a high rate of sleep-related infant deaths (SRID), particularly among non-Hispanic Black populations.
• High preterm birth rates in the Bronx necessitate targeted interventions.
• A quality improvement project focused on improving infant safe sleep in a high-risk NICU population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement an educational initiative on infant safe sleep (SS).
• To improve safe sleep practices (SSP) in a level III NICU.
• To address a critical public health issue in a high-risk demographic.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multiple plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles over 12 months.
• Employed run charts to guide interventions and track progress.
• Implemented multifactorial interventions including nurse education, visual aids, and feedback mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Over 600 crib checks were conducted during the project.
• Safe sleep (SS) positioning compliance increased from 7% at baseline to 96% post-intervention.
• Significant improvement in safe sleep practices within the NICU setting.

Conclusions:

• Multifactorial interventions effectively enhanced safe sleep compliance among NICU nurses.
• Nurse motivation, team empowerment, and a dedication to culture change were vital for project sustainability.
• The project demonstrated a successful strategy for improving infant safe sleep in a high-risk population.