Enhancing Safe Sleep Counseling by Pediatricians through a Quality Improvement Learning Collaborative

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Quality Improvement Science

Background:

• Sleep-related infant deaths are a significant public health concern in the U.S., with approximately 3,500 fatalities annually.
• Pediatrician counseling on safe sleep practices is crucial for infant safety, particularly during the first six months of life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance pediatricians' screening, counseling, and documentation of safe sleep advice through a virtual quality improvement learning collaborative (QILC).
• To achieve appropriate safe sleep guidance in at least 75% of eligible patient encounters following the QILC intervention.

Main Methods:

• A 9-month virtual QILC was implemented for inpatient and outpatient pediatricians.
• Participants engaged in monthly webinars for QI presentations, data review, and discussions.
• Data on safe sleep documentation were collected at baseline and across nine subsequent phases, with a 12-month follow-up for sustainment.

Main Results:

• Thirty-four pediatricians from 13 practices participated.
• Safe sleep documentation varied widely at baseline (0%-98%) but improved to over 75% in all practices by the QILC's end.
• Sustained improvement was observed in 75% of practices at the 12-month follow-up.

Conclusions:

• A facilitated, virtual QILC is an effective method for improving safe sleep counseling in diverse pediatric practices.
• This initiative contributes to consistent messaging on safe sleep, aiding efforts to reduce sleep-related infant deaths.