Development of a Web-Based Oxygenation Dashboard for Preterm Neonates: A Quality Improvement Initiative

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Medicine
• Clinical Informatics
• Respiratory Care

Background:

• Preterm neonates require precise oxygen monitoring for optimal outcomes.
• Current clinical practices often miss crucial oxygenation patterns due to data presentation limitations.
• This study addresses the need for improved real-time oxygenation data utilization in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a web-based dashboard for real-time and summarized oxygenation data visualization.
• To assess the feasibility of this dashboard in supporting clinical decision-making for preterm neonates.
• To enhance the management of oxygen therapy in the NICU.

Main Methods:

• Synchronized data from pulse oximeters and ventilators were stored for trend visualization.
• A web-based dashboard was designed through clinician interviews.
• A preliminary version was evaluated in daily clinical rounds for neonates with gestational age < 32 weeks.

Main Results:

• The dashboard visualizes oxygen saturation (SpO2), fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2), SpO2/FiO2 ratio, and SpO2 curve areas.
• Histograms displayed SpO2 value distribution.
• Clinicians assessed hypoxia differently in 65% of evaluations and found added value in 75% of patients.

Conclusions:

• A feasible, web-based oxygenation dashboard for preterm neonates was developed.
• The dashboard provides clearer, objective information supporting treatment strategy tailoring.
• This tool enhances clinical decision-making during daily rounds in the NICU.