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Quality improvement short report
NEO-TRAIN pushing the boundaries of quality improvement on the neonatal unit
  1. Sarah Louise Williamson,
  2. Nitesh Singh
  1. Neonatal Unit, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Sarah Louise Williamson, Neonatology, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry CV2 2DX, Coventry, UK; sarahlouise.williamson{at}nhs.net

https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2022-325060

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    Key messages

    WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW ON THIS TOPIC

    • Implementing sustainable change can be challenging.

    • Quality improvement (QI) projects are often small-scale projects over a limited time-period, led by professionals who lack expertise and frequently rotate between hospitals.

    WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS

    • Interprofessional involvement is key to implementing sustainable change.

    • Using a targeted, evidence-based approach ensures the team is focusing on specific objectives, pooling their time and resources.

    HOW THIS STUDY MIGHT AFFECT RESEARCH, PRACTICE OR POLICY

    • Interprofessional involvement accompanied with training in QI methodology has empowering staff members to bring about change.

    • Providing forums to discuss learning has led to continued improvement in practices and outcome, and more cohesive teamwork.

    Summary

    Neonatology is a rapidly evolving speciality, with new interventions and novel treatment options improving the outcomes for infants born prematurely. However, there is often a gap between what we know from research and what we do in clinical practice.1

    Quality improvement (QI) enables us to make changes that improve patient outcomes, improve system performance and enhance professional development, ensuring that safe and quality care is delivered.2

    The problem

    Implementing sustainable change can be challenging. QI projects are often small-scale projects over a limited time-period, led by professionals who lack expertise and frequently rotate between hospitals.3 4 This can lead to poor staff engagement, organisational buy-in and a lack of resources needed to implement change.4 Frequently, these projects are undertaken in isolation, failing to share learning.4

    Despite this, QI work has been shown to improve clinical outcomes in neonatal intensive care patients.5

    Aim

    To introduce a multifaceted, …

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors SLW and NS jointly designed and implemented the Neo-Train QI initiative, and both contributed to the writing of the manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.