Building a NICU quality & safety infrastructure

Semin Perinatol. 2024 Apr;48(3):151902. doi: 10.1016/j.semperi.2024.151902. Epub 2024 Apr 23.

Abstract

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Standards for Levels of Neonatal Care, published in 2023, highlights key components of a Neonatal Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Program (NPSQIP). A comprehensive Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) quality and safety infrastructure (QSI) is based on four foundational domains: quality improvement, quality assurance, safety culture, and clinical guidelines. This paper serves as an operational guide for NICU clinical leaders and quality champions to navigate these domains and develop their local QSI to include the AAP NPSQIP standards.

Keywords: Clinical guidelines; Neonatal; Quality and safety infrastructure; Quality assurance; Quality improvement; Safety culture.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Intensive Care Units, Neonatal* / organization & administration
  • Intensive Care Units, Neonatal* / standards
  • Organizational Culture
  • Patient Safety* / standards
  • Practice Guidelines as Topic
  • Quality Assurance, Health Care
  • Quality Improvement*
  • Safety Management / organization & administration
  • Safety Management / standards
  • United States