Quality improvement initiative to improve inpatient outcomes for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Objectives To improve Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) inpatient outcomes through a comprehensive quality improvement (QI) program. Design Inclusion criteria were opioid-exposed infants >= 36 weeks. QI methodology including stakeholder interviews and plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles were utilized. We compared pre- and post-intervention NAS outcomes after a QI initiative that included: A non-pharmacologic care bundle, function-based assessments consisting of symptom prioritization and then the "Eat, Sleep, Console" (ESC) Tool; and a switch to methadone for pharmacologic treatment. Results Pharmacologic treatment decreased from 87.1 to 40.0%; adjunctive agent use from 33.6 to 2.4%; hospitalization length from a mean 17.4 to 11.3 days, and opioid treatment days from 16.2 to 12.7 (p < 0.001 for all). Total hospital charges decreased from $31,825 to $20,668 per infant. Parental presence increased from 55.6 to 75.8% (p < 0.0001). No adverse events were noted. Conclusions A comprehensive QI program focused on non-pharmacologic care, function-based assessments, and methadone resulted in significant sustained improvements in NAS outcomes. These findings have important implications for establishing potentially better practices for opioid-exposed newborns.