Improving Guideline-Concordant Care for Febrile Infants Through a Quality Improvement Initiative.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to examine the impact of a quality improvement (QI) collaborative on adherence to specific recommendations within the American Academy of Pediatrics' Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for well-appearing febrile infants aged 8 to 60 days. METHODS: Concurrent with CPG release in August 2021, we initiated a QI collaborative involving 103 general and children's hospitals across the United States and Canada. We developed a multifaceted intervention bundle to improve adherence to CPG recommendations for 4 primary measures and 4 secondary measures, while tracking 5 balancing measures. Primary measures focused on guideline recommendations where deimplementation strategies were indicated. We analyzed data using statistical process control (SPC) with baseline and project enrollment from November 2020 to October 2021 and the intervention from November 2021 to October 2022. RESULTS: Within the final analysis, there were 17 708 infants included. SPC demonstrated improvement across primary and secondary measures. Specifically, the primary measures of appropriately not obtaining cerebrospinal fluid in qualifying infants and appropriately not administering antibiotics had the highest adherence at the end of the collaborative (92.4% and 90.0% respectively). Secondary measures on parent engagement for emergency department discharge of infants 22 to 28 days and oral antibiotics for infants 29 to 60 days with positive urinalyses demonstrated the greatest changes with collaborative-wide improvements of 16.0% and 20.4% respectively. Balancing measures showed no change in missed invasive bacterial infections. CONCLUSIONS: A QI collaborative with a multifaceted intervention bundle was associated with improvements in adherence to several recommendations from the AAP CPG for febrile infants.

Prevalence of Urinary Tract Infection, Bacteremia, and Meningitis Among Febrile Infants Aged 8 to 60 Days With SARS-CoV-2.

Importance: The prevalence of urinary tract infection (UTI), bacteremia, and bacterial meningitis in febrile infants with SARS-CoV-2 is largely unknown. Knowledge of the prevalence of these bacterial infections among febrile infants with SARS-CoV-2 can inform clinical decision-making. Objective: To describe the prevalence of UTI, bacteremia, and bacterial meningitis among febrile infants aged 8 to 60 days with SARS-CoV-2 vs without SARS-CoV-2. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted as part of a quality improvement initiative at 106 hospitals in the US and Canada. Participants included full-term, previously healthy, well-appearing infants aged 8 to 60 days without bronchiolitis and with a temperature of at least 38 °C who underwent SARS-CoV-2 testing in the emergency department or hospital between November 1, 2020, and October 31, 2022. Statistical analysis was performed from September 2022 to March 2023. Exposures: SARS-CoV-2 positivity and, for SARS-CoV-2-positive infants, the presence of normal vs abnormal inflammatory marker (IM) levels. Main Outcomes and Measures: Outcomes were ascertained by medical record review and included the prevalence of UTI, bacteremia without meningitis, and bacterial meningitis. The proportion of infants who were SARS-CoV-2 positive vs negative was calculated for each infection type, and stratified by age group and normal vs abnormal IMs. Results: Among 14 402 febrile infants with SARS-CoV-2 testing, 8413 (58.4%) were aged 29 to 60 days; 8143 (56.5%) were male; and 3753 (26.1%) tested positive. Compared with infants who tested negative, a lower proportion of infants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 had UTI (0.8% [95% CI, 0.5%-1.1%]) vs 7.6% [95% CI, 7.1%-8.1%]), bacteremia without meningitis (0.2% [95% CI, 0.1%-0.3%] vs 2.1% [95% CI, 1.8%-2.4%]), and bacterial meningitis (<0.1% [95% CI, 0%-0.2%] vs 0.5% [95% CI, 0.4%-0.6%]). Among infants aged 29 to 60 days who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, 0.4% (95% CI, 0.2%-0.7%) had UTI, less than 0.1% (95% CI, 0%-0.2%) had bacteremia, and less than 0.1% (95% CI, 0%-0.1%) had meningitis. Among SARS-CoV-2-positive infants, a lower proportion of those with normal IMs had bacteremia and/or bacterial meningitis compared with those with abnormal IMs (<0.1% [0%-0.2%] vs 1.8% [0.6%-3.1%]). Conclusions and Relevance: The prevalence of UTI, bacteremia, and bacterial meningitis was lower for febrile infants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, particularly infants aged 29 to 60 days and those with normal IMs. These findings may help inform management of certain febrile infants who test positive for SARS-CoV-2.

Trends in Prevalence of Bacterial Infections in Febrile Infants During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to describe the prevalence of urinary tract infection (UTI) and invasive bacterial infection (IBI) in febrile infants during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional study that included 97 hospitals in the United States and Canada. We included full-term, well-appearing infants 8 to 60 days old with a temperature of ≥38°C and an emergency department visit or hospitalization at a participating site between November 1, 2020 and March 31, 2022. We used logistic regression to determine trends in the odds of an infant having UTI and IBI by study month and to determine the association of COVID-19 prevalence with the odds of an infant having UTI and IBI. RESULTS: We included 9112 infants; 603 (6.6%) had UTI, 163 (1.8%) had bacteremia without meningitis, and 43 (0.5%) had bacterial meningitis. UTI prevalence decreased from 11.2% in November 2020 to 3.0% in January 2022. IBI prevalence was highest in February 2021 (6.1%) and decreased to 0.4% in January 2022. There was a significant downward monthly trend for odds of UTI (odds ratio [OR] 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91-0.94) and IBI (OR 0.90; 95% CI: 0.87-0.93). For every 5% increase in COVID-19 prevalence in the month of presentation, the odds of an infant having UTI (OR 0.97; 95% CI: 0.96-0.98) or bacteremia without meningitis decreased (OR 0.94; 95% CI: 0.88-0.99). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of UTI and IBI in eligible febrile infants decreased to previously published, prepandemic levels by early 2022. Higher monthly COVID-19 prevalence was associated with lower odds of UTI and bacteremia.

Effect of a Quality Improvement Bundle to Standardize the Use of Intravenous Fluids for Hospitalized Pediatric Patients: A Stepped-Wedge, Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Given that hypotonic maintenance intravenous fluids (IVF) may cause hospital-acquired harm, in November 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a clinical practice guideline recommending the use of isotonic IVF for patients aged 28 days to 18 years without contraindications. No recommendations were made regarding laboratory monitoring; however, unnecessary laboratory tests may contribute to health care waste and harm patients. Objective: To examine the effect of a quality improvement intervention bundle on (1) increasing the mean proportion of hours per hospital day with exclusive isotonic IVF use to at least 80% and (2) decreasing the mean proportion of hospital days with laboratory tests obtained. Design, Setting, and Participants: This stepped-wedge, cluster randomized clinical trial (Standardization of Fluids in Inpatient Settings [SOFI]) was sponsored by a national quality improvement collaborative and was conducted across 106 US pediatric hospitals. The SOFI intervention period was from September 2019 to March 2020. Interventions: Hospital sites were exposed to educational materials, a clinical algorithm and order set for IVF use, electronic medical record interventions to reduce laboratory testing, and "harms of overtesting" cards. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes were mean proportion of hours per hospital day receiving exclusive isotonic IVF and mean proportion of hospital days with laboratory test values obtained. Secondary measures included total IVF duration per hospital day, daily patient weight measurement while receiving IVF, serum sodium testing, and adverse events. Baseline data were collected for 2 months; intervention period data, 7 months. Outcomes were analyzed using linear mixed-effects regression models. Results: A total of 106 hospitals were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 intervention start dates (wedges), and 100 hospitals (94%) completed the study. In total, 5215 hospitalizations were reviewed before the intervention, and 6724 hospitalizations were reviewed after the intervention. Prior to interventions, the mean (SD) proportion of hours per day with exclusive isotonic IVF use was 88.5% (31.7%). Interventions led to an absolute increase of 5.4% (95% CI, 3.9%-6.9%) above baseline in exclusive isotonic IVF use but did not change the proportion of hospital days during which a laboratory test value was obtained (estimated difference, 0.1%; 95% CI, -1.5% to 1.7%; P = .90), IVF use duration (estimated difference, -1.2%; 95% CI, -2.9% to 0.4%), serum sodium testing, or adverse events. There was an absolute increase of 4.4% (95% CI, 2.6%-6.2%) in the mean proportion of hospital days with a patient weight measurement while receiving IVF. Conclusions and Relevance: In this stepped-wedge, cluster randomized clinical trial, an intervention bundle significantly improved the use of isotonic maintenance IVF without a concomitant increase in adverse events or electrolyte testing. Further work is required to deimplement laboratory testing. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03924674.

Sustainability of paediatric asthma care quality in community hospitals after ending a national quality improvement collaborative.

BACKGROUND: Community hospitals, which care for most hospitalised children in the USA, may be vulnerable to declines in paediatric care quality when quality improvement (QI) initiatives end. We aimed to evaluate changes in care quality in community hospitals after the end of the Pathways for Improving Paediatric Asthma Care (PIPA) national QI collaborative. METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal cohort study during and after PIPA. PIPA included 45 community hospitals, of which 34 completed the 12-month collaborative and were invited for extended sustainability monitoring (total of 21-24 months from collaborative start). PIPA provided paediatric asthma pathways, educational materials/seminars, QI mentorship, monthly data reports, a mobile application and peer-to-peer learning opportunities. Access to pathways, educational materials and the mobile application remained during sustainability monitoring. Charts were reviewed for children aged 2-17 years old hospitalised with a primary diagnosis of asthma (maximum 20 monthly per hospital). Outcomes included measures of guideline adherence (early bronchodilator administration via metered-dose inhaler (MDI), secondhand smoke screening and referral to smoking cessation resources) and length of stay (LOS). We evaluated outcomes using multilevel regression models adjusted for patient mix, using an interrupted time-series approach. RESULTS: We analysed 2159 hospitalisations from 23 hospitals (68% of eligible). Participating hospitals were structurally similar to those that dropped out but had more improvement in guideline adherence during the collaborative (29% vs 15%, p=0.02). The end of the collaborative was associated with a significant initial decrease in early MDI administration (81%-68%) (adjusted OR (aOR) 0.26 (95% CI 0.15 to 0.42)) and decreased rate of referral to smoking cessation resources (2.2% per month increase to 0.3% per month decrease) (aOR 0.86 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.98)) but no significant changes in LOS or secondhand smoke screening. CONCLUSIONS: The end of a paediatric asthma QI collaborative was associated with concerning declines in guideline adherence in community hospitals.

Implementing pediatric inpatient asthma pathways.

OBJECTIVE: Pathways are succinct, operational versions of evidence-based guidelines. Studies have demonstrated pathways improve quality of care for children hospitalized with asthma, but we have limited information on other key factors to guide hospital leaders and clinicians in pathway implementation efforts. Our objective was to evaluate the adoption, implementation, and reach of inpatient pediatric asthma pathways. METHODS: This was a mixed-methods study of hospitals participating in a national collaborative to implement pathways. Data sources included electronic surveys of implementation leaders and staff, field observations, and chart review of children ages 2-17 years admitted with a primary diagnosis of asthma. Outcomes included adoption by hospitals, pathway implementation factors, and reach of pathways to children hospitalized with asthma. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariable regression. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Eighty-five hospitals enrolled; 68 (80%) adopted/completed the collaborative. These 68 hospitals implemented pathways with overall high fidelity, implementing a median of 5 of 5 core pathway components (Interquartile Range [IQR] 4-5) in a median of 5 months (IQR 3-9). Implementation teams reported a median time cost of 78 h (IQR: 40-120) for implementation. Implementation leaders reported the values of pathway implementation included improvements in care, enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration, and access to educational resources. Leaders reported barriers in modifying electronic health records (EHRs), and only 63% of children had electronic pathway orders placed. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitals implemented pathways with high fidelity. Barriers in modifying EHRs may have limited the reach of pathways to children hospitalized with asthma.

Pathways for Improving Inpatient Pediatric Asthma Care (PIPA): A Multicenter, National Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pathways guide clinicians through evidence-based care of specific conditions. Pathways have been demonstrated to improve inpatient asthma care but mainly in studies at large, tertiary children's hospitals. It remains unclear if these effects are generalizable across diverse hospital settings. Our objective was to improve inpatient asthma care by implementing pathways in a diverse, national sample of hospitals. METHODS: We used a learning collaborative model. Pathway implementation strategies included local champions, external facilitators and/or mentors, educational seminars, quality improvement methods, and audit and feedback. Outcomes included length of stay (LOS) (primary), early administration of metered-dose inhalers, screening for secondhand tobacco exposure and referral to cessation resources, and 7-day hospital readmissions or emergency revisits (balancing). Hospitals reviewed a sample of up to 20 charts per month of children ages 2 to 17 years who were admitted with a primary diagnosis of asthma (12 months before and 15 months after implementation). Analyses were done by using multilevel regression models with an interrupted time series approach, adjusting for patient characteristics. RESULTS: Eighty-five hospitals enrolled (40 children's and 45 community); 68 (80%) completed the study (n = 12 013 admissions). Pathways were associated with increases in early administration of metered-dose inhalers (odds ratio: 1.18; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14-1.22) and referral to smoking cessation resources (odds ratio: 1.93; 95% CI: 1.27-2.91) but no statistically significant changes in other outcomes, including LOS (rate ratio: 1.00; 95% CI: 0.96-1.06). Most hospitals (65%) improved in at least 1 outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Pathways did not significantly impact LOS but did improve quality of asthma care for children in a diverse, national group of hospitals.