Improving Care for Preterm Infants Born at 32 to 36 Weeks in Alberta NICUs Using Collaborative Quality Improvement

What this Trial Is About

The trial focuses on moderate and late preterm infants born between 32 and 36 weeks gestation who are admitted to Level 2 and 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Units NICUs across Alberta. Researchers aim to find out if applying collaborative quality improvement methods and standardized care bundles can reduce the length of hospital stays and help babies get home faster. This stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial includes 12 NICUs randomized to adopt the intervention at different times, allowing comparison against current standard care. The intervention involves multiple collaborative quality improvement strategies building dedicated QI teams in each NICU, providing standardized QI education, implementing two care bundles focused on respiratory and nutritional support, mentoring by experienced QI members, and facilitating collaborative networking with regular virtual and in-person meetings. Participating NICUs will transition from current practices to this intervention in phases over three years. During the control period, NICUs continue their usual care and any ongoing QI activities without the new intervention strategies. Participants progress will be monitored from birth until discharge or death, with assessments continuing up to six months after their due date. Researchers will track hospital stay length, healthcare costs, respiratory support duration, feeding milestones, growth measurements, rehospitalizations, mortality, and staff perceptions of QI implementation. Data will be collected through clinical records and surveys. The study spans from May 2023 to August 2027, aiming to improve care quality and outcomes for these preterm infants.

Alberta Collaborative QI Strategies to Improve Outcomes of Moderate and Late Preterm Infants (ABC-QI Trial)