Developmentally Supportive Positioning Policy for Preterm Low Birth Weight Infants in a Tertiary Care Neonatal Unit: A Quality Improvement Initiative

Abstract

Objective: To improve developmentally supportive positioning practices by 50% in neonates weighing <1800 g, admitted in a neonatal intensive care unit over 6 months. Methods: Infant Position Assessment Tool (IPAT) scores were used for assessment of the ideal position. Proportion of neonates with IPAT score ≥8 and improvement of average IPAT score were the process and the outcome measures, respectively. At baseline, 16.6% of infants had optimum position. After root cause analysis, interventions were done in multiple Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles of educational sessions, positioning audits, use of low-cost nesting aids, and training of mothers. Results: Over 21 weeks, 74 neonates were observed at 714 opportunities. Over 6 months, mean (SD) IPAT score improved from 3.4 (1.4) to 9.2 (2.8). Optimum positioning was maintained in 83.3% neonates during sustenance phase. Conclusions: Low-cost interventions, awareness regarding standards of optimum positioning and involvement of primary caregiver can effectively improve infant positioning practices.