Objective: Increase the percentage of transported preterm or LBW infants with an admission temperature of 36.5-37.5 °C from 60 to 80% by December 2017.
Study design: We used the Model for Improvement with Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. Interventions focused on awareness of temperature control in preterm infants, adequate monitoring, and maintaining normothermia. Interventions consisted of standardizing isolette temperature, use of chemical warming pack and plastic wrap, and feedback. Data were plotted on a p-chart and grouped by month.
Result: A total of 381 infants <37 weeks or <2.5 kg were transported from January 2016 to December 2019. At baseline 60% were admitted with a temperature within the range of 36.5-37.5 °C. Special cause variation was noted twice during the study period, initially to 80% in June 2018 and then to 96% in April 2019, without an increase in hyperthermia.
Conclusion: Multidisciplinary quality improvement efforts improved normothermia in vulnerable transported infants to 96%.