A Quality Improvement Project to Decrease Suboptimal Patient Transfers between Two Neonatal Units.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Neonatal care transitions
• Patient safety

Background:

• Transitions of care between neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and special care nurseries (SCNs) are critical for patient safety and satisfaction.
• Suboptimal transfers are associated with adverse outcomes and patient dissatisfaction.
• Identified issues in NICU-to-SCN transfer processes necessitated a quality improvement initiative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To decrease suboptimal transfers from the NICU to the SCN by 50% within 9 months.
• To improve the overall transfer process efficiency and patient outcomes.
• To enhance parent communication and staff satisfaction during care transitions.

Main Methods:

• Implemented a multidisciplinary quality improvement project from October 2019 to September 2022.
• Introduced a standardized transfer checklist and algorithm for NICU-to-SCN transitions.
• Utilized staff surveys and statistical process control charts to monitor progress and outcomes.

Main Results:

• Suboptimal transfers were significantly decreased over a 21-month intervention period.
• Parent notification rates before transfers increased from 81% to 93%.
• Staff satisfaction with the transfer process improved substantially, from 15% to 43%.

Conclusions:

• The quality improvement project successfully optimized the NICU-to-SCN transfer process.
• Enhanced staff satisfaction and the absence of perceived additional burden suggest sustainability of the improvements.
• The project highlights the effectiveness of structured interventions in improving neonatal care transitions.