A Qualitative Study of Nurses' Perspectives on Neonatologist Continuity of Care.

BACKGROUND: Families and staff in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) value continuity of care (COC), though definitions, delivery, and impacts of COC are incompletely described. Previously, we used parental perspectives to define and build a conceptual model of COC provided by neonatologists. Nursing perspectives about COC remain unclear. PURPOSE: To describe nursing perspectives on neonatologist COC and revise our conceptual model with neonatal nurse input. METHODS: This was a qualitative study interviewing NICU nurses. The investigators analyzed transcripts with directed content analysis guided by an existing framework of neonatologist COC. Codes were categorized according to previously described COC components, impact on infants and families, and improvements for neonatologist COC. New codes were identified, including impact on nurses, and codes were classified into themes. RESULTS: From 15 nurses, 5 themes emerged: (1) nurses validated parental definitions and benefits of COC; (2) communication is nurses' most valued component of COC; (3) neonatologist COC impact on nurses; (4) factors that modulate the delivery of and need for COC; (5) conflict between the need for COC and the need for change. Suggested improvement strategies included optimizing staffing and transition processes, utilizing clinical guidelines, and enhancing communication at all levels. Our adapted conceptual model describes variables associated with COC. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND RESEARCH: Interdisciplinary NICU teams need to develop systematic strategies tailored to their unit's and patients' needs that promote COC, focused to improve parent-clinician communication and among clinicians. Our conceptual model can help future investigators develop targeted interventions to improve COC.

Effect of Coronavirus Disease-2019 on the Workload of Neonatologists.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the impact of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) on the neonatology workforce, focusing on professional and domestic workloads. STUDY DESIGN: We surveyed US neonatologists in December 2020 regarding the impact of COVID-19 on professional and domestic work during the pandemic. We estimated associations between changes in time spent on types of professional and domestic work and demographic variables with multivariable logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Two-thirds (67.6%) of the 758 participants were women. Higher proportions of women than men were in the younger age group (63.3% vs 29.3%), held no leadership position (61.4% vs 46.3%), had dependents at home (68.8% vs 56.3%), did not have a partner or other adult at home (10.6% vs 3.2%), and had an employed partner (88.1% vs 64.6%) (P < .01 for all). A higher proportion of women than men reported a decrease in time spent on scholarly work (35.0% vs 29.0%; P = .02) and career development (44.2% vs 34.9%; P < .01). A higher proportion of women than men reported spending more time caring for children (74.2% vs 55.8%; P < .01). Reduced time spent on career development was associated with younger age (aOR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.20-4.08) and number of dependents (aOR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.01-1.45). Women were more likely to report an increase in time spent time doing domestic work (aOR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.07-2.19) and a reduction in time on self-care (aOR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.29-0.81). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 significantly impacts the neonatology workforce, disproportionately affecting younger, parent, and women physicians. Targeted interventions are needed to support postpandemic career recovery and advance physician contributions to the field.

Parental Perspectives on Neonatologist Continuity of Care.

BACKGROUND: Continuity of care (COC) is highly regarded; however, data about benefits are mixed. Little is known about components, parental views, or the value COC may provide to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) infants and families. PURPOSE: To describe parents' perspectives on definitions, reasons they value, and suggested improvements regarding COC provided by neonatologists. METHODS: We performed a qualitative study of in-person, semistructured interviews with parents of NICU infants hospitalized for 28 days or more. We analyzed interview transcripts using content analysis, identifying codes of parental experiences, expressed value, and improvement ideas related to neonatologist COC, and categorizing emerging themes. RESULTS: Fifteen families (15 mothers and 2 fathers) described 4 themes about COC: (1) longitudinal neonatologists: gaining experience with infants and building relationships with parents over time; (2) background knowledge: knowing infants' clinical history and current condition; (3) care plans: establishing patient-centered goals and management plans; and (4) communication: demonstrating consistent communication and messaging. Parents described benefits of COC as decreasing knowledge gaps, advancing clinical progress, and decreasing parental stress. Suggested improvement strategies included optimizing staffing and sign-out/transition processes, utilizing clinical guidelines, and enhancing communication. Using parent input and existing literature, we developed a definition and conceptual framework of COC. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: NICUs should promote practices that enhance COC. Parental suggestions can help direct improvement efforts. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Our COC definition and conceptual framework can guide development of research and quality improvement projects. Future studies should investigate nursing perspectives on NICU COC and the impact of COC on infant and family outcomes.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Infants Less than 90 Days Old.

This is a single-center US case series of 18 infants <90 days old who tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). These infants had a mild febrile illness without significant pulmonary disease. One-half of the infants were hospitalized; 1 had bacterial urinary tract co-infection. Nasopharyngeal viral loads were notably high. Latinx ethnicity was overrepresented.

Association of Neonatologist Continuity of Care and Short-Term Patient Outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: To describe neonatologist continuity of care and estimate the association between these transitions and selected patient outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: We linked Children's Hospitals Neonatal Database records with masked neonatologist daily schedules at 4 centers, which use 2- and 3-week and 1-month "on service" blocks to provide care. After describing the neonatologist transitions, we estimated associations between these transitions and selected short-term patient outcomes using multivariable Poisson, logistic, and linear regression analyses, independent of length of stay (LOS) and case-mix. We also completed analyses after stratifying the cohort by LOS, birthweight, age at admission categories, and selected diagnoses. RESULTS: Stratified by LOS, patient transitions varied between centers in both unadjusted (P < .001) and multivariable analyses (adjusted incidence rate ratio; 95% CI for center B = 3.98 (3.81-4.15), center C = 4.92 (4.71-5.13), center D = 4.2 (4.0-4.4), P < .001), independent of LOS, gestational age, birthweight, surgical intervention, ventilator duration, and mortality. Only central venous line duration (adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.015, 95% CI 1.01-1.02) was minimally and independently associated with the number of transitions. No differences were observed in ventilator duration, oxygen use at neonatal intensive care unit discharge, bloodstream infections, or urinary tract infections. Surviving infants with meconium aspiration, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, cerebral infarction, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and diaphragmatic hernia demonstrated similar findings. CONCLUSIONS: Transitions in neonatologists are frequent in regional neonatal intensive care units but appear unrelated to short-term patient outcomes. Future work to define continuity of care and develop effective strategies that promote longitudinal inpatient management is needed.

Understanding family-centered care in the NICU: a scoping review protocol.

OBJECTIVE: This scoping review will aim to identify and categorize the definitions of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) family-centered care (FCC) and its associated concepts. It also aims to identify and categorize the practices and interventions that comprise NICU FCC, and catalog the metrics used to evaluate NICU FCC. INTRODUCTION: FCC has been identified as an important element of care for neonates and infants admitted to the NICU, and there is clear evidence that the incorporation of families in care improves clinical outcomes. However, FCC has been linked to numerous associated terms and concepts and lacks a unifying definition or framework, thus limiting the ability to categorize, prioritize, and identify practices and interventions to optimize both institutional approaches for individual centers and for the field at large. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Studies that include or apply at least one FCC concept or its associated terms will be considered eligible for inclusion. Studies not related exclusively to the NICU will be excluded. METHODS: The review will follow the JBI methodology for scoping reviews and will be reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Several electronic databases and sources of gray literature will be searched from 1992 to the present day. The review will include only full-text studies in English and will be independently screened by a minimum of 2 authors. Data will be extracted using a modified JBI data extraction tool and presented using narrative summaries; concept mapping; and categorization of practices, interventions, and metrics.

Discharge Best Practices of High-Risk Infants From Regional Children's Hospital NICUs.

OBJECTIVES: Lack of discharge preparedness after NICU hospitalization is associated with risk of readmission and parental stress. Complex infants cared for at regional children's hospital NICUs would benefit from a systematic approach to transition home. Our objective was to identify potential best practices for NICU discharge and examine priorities for incorporating these best practices in regional children's hospital NICUs. METHODS: We used techniques from quality improvement, including fish bone and key driver diagrams, yielding 52 potential best practice statements for discharge preparation. Using the modified Delphi method, we surveyed stakeholders on their level of agreement for the statement to be included in the final guideline regarding discharge processes and parental education. Consensus was defined as 85% agreement among respondents. To identify implementation feasibility and understand unit-level priorities, a prioritization and feasibility assessment survey was used to rank the top best practices and performed gap analyses for the first prioritized intervention. RESULTS: Fifty of the 52 statements met the predefined criteria for consensus. The prioritization survey of potential best practice statements named assessment of families' social determinants of health with a standardized tool as the top priority among respondents. Conducting gap analyses enabled an understanding of current practice, barriers, and affordances, allowing for implementation planning. CONCLUSIONS: This multicenter and interdisciplinary expert panel reached a consensus on multiple potential best practices for complex discharge preparation from regional children's hospital NICUs. Better support for families navigating the complex NICU discharge process has the potential to improve infant health outcomes.

Academic neonatologist-a species at the brink of extinction?

Neonatology is a field that is currently facing many challenges. These challenges include outdated work models in clinical environments with increasing acuity and patient workloads, physician burnout exacerbated by gender inequity and the recent COVID-19 pandemic, and inappropriate metrics to measure clinical productivity. Academic neonatologists have additional missions that include research, teaching, and scholarly productivity in the setting of an increasing clinical workload and reduced time and support for teaching and research. Within the university-based practice setting, reimbursement, and salary structure result in relatively low compensation for neonatologist clinical productivity and time. These challenges threaten the sustainability of academic neonatology as a field. Working towards potential solutions such as creation of sustainable, transparent work models, and aligned funds flow within university-based settings is imperative.

Risk factors for hospital readmission among infants with prolonged neonatal intensive care stays.

OBJECTIVE: To assess risk factors associated with 30-day hospital readmission after a prolonged neonatal intensive care stay. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of 57,035 infants discharged >14 days from the NICU between 2013 and 2016. Primary outcome was 30-day, all-cause hospital readmission. Adjusted likelihood of readmission accounting for demographic and clinical characteristics, including chronic conditions was also estimated. RESULTS: The 30-day readmission rate was 10.7%. Respiratory problems accounted for most (31.0%) readmissions. In multivariable analysis, shunted hydrocephalus [OR 2.2 (95%CI 1.8-2.7)], gastrostomy tube [OR 2.0 (95%CI 1.8-2.3)], tracheostomy [OR 1.5 (95%CI 1.2-1.8)], and use of public insurance [OR 1.3 (95%CI 1.2-1.4)] had the highest likelihood of readmission. Adjusted hospital readmission rates varied significantly (p < 0.001) across hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: The likelihood of hospital readmission was highest for infants with indwelling medical devices and public insurance. These findings will inform future initiatives to reduce readmission for high risk infants with medical and social complexity.

Polymerase Gamma Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome Initially Presenting as Disproportionate Respiratory Distress in a Moderately Premature Neonate: A Case Report.

A 32-week premature infant presented with respiratory failure, later progressing to pulmonary hypertension (PH), liver failure, lactic acidosis, and encephalopathy. Using exome sequencing, this patient was diagnosed with a rare Polymerase Gamma (POLG)-related mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) depletion syndrome. This case demonstrates that expanding the differential to uncommon diagnoses is important for complex infants, even in premature neonates whose condition may be explained partially by their gestational age (GA). It also shows that patients with complex neonatal diseases with significant family history may benefit from exome sequencing for diagnosis.

Implications of continuity of care on infant caloric intake in the neonatal intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the association of continuity of neonatologist care with caloric intake and growth velocity (GV) in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. STUDY DESIGN: We created a daily continuity index (DCI) defined as the number of days the neonatologist worked in the previous week. We estimated the independent associations between this index and infants' daily caloric intake (kcal/kg/day) and GV (g/kg/day) through the first 6 weeks of life using regression analyses. RESULTS: Twenty-eight neonatologists cared for 115 infants over 4643 patient-days. The DCI was independently associated with increased caloric intake (ß = 1.27 kcal/kg/day per each day of continuity, p < 10-4); this effect was magnified (ß = 3.33, p < 10-4) in the first 2 weeks. No association was observed between the index and GV. CONCLUSIONS: Neonatologist continuity may contribute to caloric intake in VLBW infants. Quality metrics focused on this area of health care delivery warrant further discovery.

Structured inpatient evaluation of neonatal cardiac ectopy.

OBJECTIVE(S): In well-appearing newborns with suspected cardiac ectopy, we sought to evaluate our practice and test whether initial electrocardiogram (ECG) findings were associated with neonatal arrhythmias (NA). STUDY DESIGN: We identified well-appearing, non-anomalous infants >34 weeks' gestation with suspected ectopy over 3.5 years. NA was defined as ≥10% premature atrial contractions (PAC), ≥5 beats of atrial tachycardia, ≥2% premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), or ≥3 beats of ventricular tachycardia. The unadjusted associations between initial ECG findings and NA are reported. RESULT: Among 126 infants with ECGs and Holters performed, NA was observed in 38 patients (30%) and was similar whether PACs were present or not on the initial ECG (33% vs. no PACs: 29%, p = 0.6). However, NAs were identified more frequently based on the presence of PVCs on the initial ECG (83% vs. 25%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: NAs were prevalent and both their etiologies and impact on infants warrant future study.