Implementing a Maternal Rest Bundle to Prevent Newborn Falls

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety
• Maternal-Infant Care

Background:

• Newborn falls pose a significant risk in mother-baby units, with one severe injury documented.
• Nine infant falls occurred over 3.5 years in a 40-bed urban teaching hospital unit.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine newborn fall demographics and implement a maternal rest bundle.
• To reduce newborn falls to zero within three months.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement project with a pre-/post-intervention design was utilized.
• A maternal rest bundle, including education, a safe sleep pledge, quiet time, and signage, was implemented.
• Data collected included newborn fall rates, staff evaluations, and patient experience interviews.

Main Results:

• No newborn falls occurred for two years post-intervention (October 2018-December 2020).
• Staff supported maintaining quiet time, citing daily tasks as barriers.
• 95% of women found quiet time beneficial.

Conclusions:

• The maternal rest bundle effectively eliminated newborn falls.
• Sustained success is attributed to staff support and engagement.