Improving Timeliness of Hepatitis B Vaccine Birth Dose Administration.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: When given within 24 hours of birth, the hepatitis B vaccine is up to 90% effective in preventing perinatal infection. The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends administration within 24 hours for infants with a birth weight >2 kg, but a national benchmark for compliance with this time frame has not been established. We aimed to increase the monthly average of eligible newborns receiving the vaccine on time from 40% to 80% over a 9-month period. METHODS: A series of plan-do-study-act cycles were conducted to improve timeliness of hepatitis B vaccine birth dose administration among newborns in the level 1 nursery at our academic community hospital. Interventions included staff education, nurse-driven consent and vaccine ordering, and earlier initial newborn assessments performed by nursing staff. Our primary outcome was the monthly percentage of newborns receiving the vaccine within 24 hours of birth, and our secondary outcome was the frequency of nonvaccination events. Statistical process control was used to analyze the effectiveness of interventions. RESULTS: Our mean monthly rate of vaccine administration within the 24-hour time frame increased from 40% to 92%. Predischarge vaccination rate improved from a mean of 13 to 61 cases between infants discharged without vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: Nurse-led interventions, including the ability to obtain consent and incorporation of the vaccine into our nurse-activated admission order set, were significant contributors to improvement in the timeliness of hepatitis B vaccine administration. We propose a mean of 90% compliance with the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations as a benchmark for other institutions.

Does Breast Milk Affect Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Severity, the Need for Pharmacologic Therapy, and Length of Stay for Infants of Mothers on Opioid Maintenance Therapy During Pregnancy?

BACKGROUND: The United States is in an opioid crisis with abuse among women on the rise over the past 10 years. Infants of opioid-dependent mothers are at risk for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Neonatal abstinence syndrome can affect multiple systems and disrupt normal growth and development. It is for this reason that strategies to promote health such as breastfeeding need to be explored. This brief evaluates current evidence regarding breast milk and the impact it has on NAS. PURPOSE: The question guiding this brief is: "Does provision of breast milk reduce NAS withdrawal symptoms, decrease length of stay, and decrease the need for pharmacologic therapy for infants whose mothers are maintained on methadone or buprenorphine?" SEARCH STRATEGY: CINHAL/MEDLINE Complete and PubMed databases were searched using key words-NAS and breastfeeding-and the search was limited to 10 years for English studies evaluating the effects of breast milk on severity of NAS, pharmacologic therapy, and length of stay whose mothers received methadone or buprenorphine during pregnancy. The search yielded 10 studies addressing these concerns. FINDINGS: Breast milk may be beneficial for decreasing NAS severity, pharmacologic therapy, and length of stay. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Strategies should be developed to support individualized plans based on maternal history, safety, and mother's choice. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Further research is needed utilizing matched case-controlled studies regarding breast milk and the influence on severity of NAS, need for pharmacologic therapy, length of stay, and neurologic outcomes. In addition, other factors should be investigated including abrupt weaning, polysubstance use, and readmissions.