Saving the Tiniest Heinies From Diaper Dermatitis in High-Risk Neonates

In 2023, 53% of 300 patients in our NICU developed diaper dermatitis during their hospital stay. Literature indicates that providing effective skin care to patients can help prevent diaper dermatitis. The purpose of this project was to answer the following clinical question: Does application of Cavilon No Sting Barrier with reapplication every 3 days to high-risk newborns, either experiencing neonatal withdrawal due to maternal drug use or who were under observation for suspected infections and were noted to have blanchable redness on their buttocks on admission, prevent diaper dermatitis? This is an evidence-based project using a pre- and post-approach to reducing diaper dermatitis in a Level III NICU unit in Central Texas. Since the project started, there has been no more than a 10% rate of development of diaper dermatitis during the stay of patients who met the inclusion criteria. The recommendation is that every patient admitted to the NICU receives Cavilon applied on admission and with reapplication every 72 hours and/or after bath.