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  • Quality Improvement Article
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Quality improvement initiative to impact Golden Hour timeliness using a dedicated delivery team

Journal of Perinatology volume 44, pages 452–457 (2024)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective

Golden Hour (GH) care impacts immediate and long-term outcomes for premature infants. We hypothesized that creation of a dedicated delivery team, the Stork Team, would improve delivery of GH care.

Methods

A GH quality improvement initiative was created for infants born at <32 weeks and implemented in July 2018. Data were collected from GH checklists and the electronic medical record.

Results

Following Stork Team implementation there was special cause variation noted in the minute of life (MOL) for administration of dextrose containing fluids and antibiotics. Dextrose containing fluid time improved from 111 to 67 MOL, with an increase in the percentage of patients receiving fluids by 60 MOL. Antibiotic administration improved from 180 to 82.5 MOL. GH checklist completion increased from 77% to 98% and time to isolette closure improved from 88 to 62 MOL.

Conclusion

Implementation of the Stork Team was associated with improvements in timeliness of GH care.

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Fig. 1: X bar and S charts for MOL that dextrose containing fluids (D10) were initiated grouped by birth month and annotated with interventions.
Fig. 2: X bar and S charts for the MOL that antibiotics were initiated grouped by birth month and annotated with interventions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Blair Welch, Anna Thomas, Izlin Lien & Alana Barbato

  2. Riley Children’s Health, Indiana University Health, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Blair Welch, Anna Thomas, Izlin Lien & Alana Barbato

  3. Indiana Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Jennifer Stanton Tully

  4. Riley Children’s Health, Indiana University Health, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Jessica Horan

Authors
  1. Blair Welch
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  2. Jennifer Stanton Tully
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  3. Jessica Horan
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  4. Anna Thomas
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  5. Izlin Lien
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  6. Alana Barbato
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Contributions

BW and AB conceptualized and designed the study, edited the data collection instruments, collected data, carried out the initial analyses, drafted the initial manuscript, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. JST designed the data collection instruments, coordinated, and supervised data collection, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. JH and AT conceptualized and designed the initial golden hour quality improvement project and original data collection instrument, collected data, and carried out the initial analyses from July 2018 through June 2019, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. IL conceptualized the dedicated delivery team, supervised data collection, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Blair Welch.

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Ethics approval

This project was submitted to the Indiana University Institutional Review Board and deemed exempt (IRB #2003758842).

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Welch, B., Stanton Tully, J., Horan, J. et al. Quality improvement initiative to impact Golden Hour timeliness using a dedicated delivery team. J Perinatol 44, 452–457 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-023-01731-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-023-01731-3

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