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Quality improvement initiative to improve mother’s own milk usage till hospital discharge in very low birth weight infants from a tertiary care NICU

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Abstract

Importance

Mother’s own milk (MOM) for premature infants is a complete nutrition. It is an ideal issue for a quality improvement (QI) initiative.

Objective

To increase the proportionate usage of MOM as enteral feeds.

Methods

A QI study conducted in Tertiary care NICU involving all eligible very low birth weight (VLBW) infants and mother dyads. The proportionate usages of MOM as enteral feeds were the main outcomes.

Exposure

Education, milk expression, and mother–infant interaction formed the key drivers.

Results

We studied 282 mother infant dyads during the QI period. The proportionate usage of MOM as the enteral feed increased from 55% (±34) at baseline to 80% (±27) during the intervention and to 88% (±16) in sustenance phase.

Conclusions

A QI initiative resulted in 60% relative improvement in proportionate usage of MOM as enteral feeds in VLBW infants during hospital stay.

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Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3: Run charts of both MOM percentage intake and proportion of infant with MOM success.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr Evita Fernandez and Dr Pramod Gaddam from Fernandez hospital for their continuous support and encouragement for completion and continuation of this QI work and also thank all the mother baby dyads of this QI project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neonatology, Unit 2, Fernandez hospital, Hyderabad, India

    Dattatray V. Kulkarni, Srinivas Murki, Dinesh Pawale, Sai kiran, Deepak Sharma, Venkateshwarlu Verdhelli, Tejopratap Oleti & Yadalaxmi Raggala

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  1. Dattatray V. Kulkarni
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  2. Srinivas Murki
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  3. Dinesh Pawale
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  4. Sai kiran
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  7. Tejopratap Oleti
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Contributions

SM and DVK had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Concept and design: SM, SK, and DVK. Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: all authors. Drafting of the manuscript: DVK, DP, DS, and VV. Critical revision of the manuscript for important. Intellectual content: SM, TP, SK, and DVK. Statistical analysis: SM, DVK, DP, DS, and VV. Administrative, technical, or material support: SK and TP. Supervision: SM and DVK.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dattatray V. Kulkarni.

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Kulkarni, D.V., Murki, S., Pawale, D. et al. Quality improvement initiative to improve mother’s own milk usage till hospital discharge in very low birth weight infants from a tertiary care NICU. J Perinatol 40, 1273–1281 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-020-0707-0

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