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Published on: April 7, 2023
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Quicker team launch times for urgent priority neonatal retrievals: A Quality Improvement Initiative study
Saumil Desai1,2,3, Kevin George4,5, Kylie McDonald4,5
1Newborn Emergency Transport Services (NETS), Perth Children's Hospital, Nedlands, WA, Australia. saumil.desai@uwa.edu.au.
Summary
Newborn Emergency Transport Services Western Australia (NETS WA) reduced urgent retrieval launch times from 35.5 to 17 minutes using quality improvement methods. This enhances rapid, higher-level care for critically ill infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal retrieval logistics and quality improvement science.
- Application of time-centric Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in emergency medical services.
Background:
- Neonatal retrieval networks utilize time-based KPIs for benchmarking.
- Rapid team launch is critical for timely, high-level care for neonates.
- Newborn Emergency Transport Services of Western Australia (NETS WA) sought to improve urgent retrieval launch times.
Purpose of the Study:
- To decrease NETS WA team launch times for urgent neonatal retrievals to meet the Australian New Zealand Neonatal Retrieval Network 2022 benchmark (<15 min).
- To evaluate the impact of reduced launch times on first look time and total retrieval time.
Main Methods:
- A two-year quality improvement (QI) study at NETS WA.
- Implementation of Plan-Do-Study-Action (PDSA) cycles focusing on cot access, staffing, priority matrix, and communication.
- Data collected on launch time, first look time, and total retrieval time via REDCap database.
Main Results:
- Urgent retrieval launch times decreased from a median of 35.5 to 17.0 minutes (p=0.0006).
- Road retrieval launch times improved to a median of 15.0 minutes (p=0.009).
- First look time decreased significantly (p=0.008), while total retrieval time showed no significant change (p=0.33).
Conclusions:
- Strategic QI initiatives effectively reduced critical time metrics for urgent neonatal retrievals.
- NETS WA successfully improved team launch times, aligning with national benchmarks.
- The study highlights the success of targeted interventions in optimizing neonatal transport efficiency.
