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A Quality Improvement Project to Delay Umbilical Cord Clamping Time
Amanda N Pauley1, Amy Roy1, Yaslam Balfaqih2
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Joan C Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, W.Va.
Pediatric Quality & Safety
|January 12, 2022
Summary
Delayed cord clamping (DCC) offers significant benefits for newborns. A quality improvement project successfully increased DCC rates from 12% to 96% using simple interventions like provider education and timers.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics
- Neonatal Care
- Quality Improvement
Background:
- Delayed cord clamping (DCC) provides neonates with increased hemoglobin, reduced need for transfusions, and lower incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis and intraventricular hemorrhage.
- A prior study showed only 12% of deliveries met the DCC standard (30-60 seconds).
Purpose of the Study:
- To implement and assess a quality improvement project to increase the rate of DCC on a university obstetrics service.
Main Methods:
- A quality improvement project was designed to increase DCC rates.
- Interventions included provider education, timer installation in delivery suites, and electronic health record documentation modifications.
- DCC rates were measured weekly, defined as clamping at or after 30 seconds, aiming for 80%.
Main Results:
- Post-intervention DCC rates reached 96% overall.
- The project successfully met the 80% DCC rate goal for all 6 weeks of data collection.
Conclusions:
- Simple, low-cost interventions rapidly improved DCC rates.
- The implemented strategies (education, timers, EHR modification) are easily replicable in other hospitals.
- This system demonstrates potential for long-term sustainability of DCC practices.
