title: Decreasing infection in neonatal intensive care units through quality improvement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To decrease the incidence of bloodstream infection (BSI) for neonates <29 weeks gestation through quality improvement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Commencing in September 2011, eight neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory, Australia participated in the Sepsis Prevention in NICUs Group project, a multicentre quality improvement initiative to reduce neonatal infection through implementation of potentially better practices and development of teaching resources. Data were collected for neonates <29 weeks gestation from D3 to 35, using point of care data entry, for BSI, central line-associated BSI (CLABSI) and antibiotic use. Exponentially weighted moving average data trend lines for rates of BSI, CLABSI and antibiotic use for each NICU were automatically generated and composite charts were provided each month to participating NICUs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between January 2012 and December 2014, data were collected from D3 to 35 for 1075 neonates <29 weeks gestation who survived >48 h, for a total of 33 933 bed days and 14 447 central line days. There was a significant decrease from 2012 to 2014 in BSI/1000 bed days (7.8±3.0 vs 3.8±1.1, p=0.000), CLABSI/1000 bed days (4.6±2.1 vs 2.1±0.8, p=0.003), CLABSI/1000 central line days (9.9±4.3 vs 5.4±1.7, p=0.012) and antibiotic days/100 bed days (31.1±4.3 vs 25.5±4.2, p=0.046).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates a >50% reduction in BSI in extremely premature neonates from D3 to 35 following a collaborative quality improvement project to reduce neonatal infection across an NICU network, supported by timely provision of data.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.affiliation: Department of Newborn Care, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Callander
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.affiliation: School of Women's and Children's Health, Newborn Care Centre, Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: K B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Lindrea
mesh_terms: D020958:Australian Capital Territory / Q000453:epidemiology; D055499:Catheter-Related Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D017053:Infection Control / Q000592:standards*; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends
keywords: CLABSI; Infection; Neonate; Quality Improvement; Sepsis