Six Hospitals Recognized for Exceptional Care of High-Risk Infants
In a celebration of excellence in neonatal care, the Vermont Oxford Network (VON) has awarded six hospitals the inaugural Vermont Oxford Network Award for Excellence in Quality Improvement. This distinguished recognition highlights hospitals that exhibit an unwavering commitment to enhancing the care provided to high-risk infants and their families, primarily through well-structured, multidisciplinary quality improvement initiatives. The award serves as both a benchmark and a motivator for hospitals striving to implement best practices in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) on a global scale.
The recipients of the 2024 award include major hospitals recognized for their innovative approaches to quality improvement in infant care. One notable winner is Duke Children's Hospital located in Durham, North Carolina, which was honored for their project that focused on standardizing delayed umbilical cord clamping. This practice has been shown to significantly benefit infants, contributing to better transition outcomes after birth.
Another organization, Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, received accolades for successfully increasing the number of infants receiving essential skin-to-skin care (also known as 'kangaroo care') within their first 72 hours of life. This crucial bonding opportunity between infants and their parents has proven vital for promoting healthy development.
Lankenau Medical Center, situated in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, was recognized for its efforts to reduce the rates of severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in infants and improve the timeliness of skin-to-skin care implementations. This proactive approach underscores the importance of quality improvement in minimizing complications that often arise in vulnerable newborns.
In California, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford stood out for their initiative aimed at decreasing the interval between an infant's birth and the initiation of 'kangaroo care'. By minimizing this wait time, the hospital aims to significantly enhance the supportive environment critical for newborns'
development.
Texas-based Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center was also among the honored hospitals, recognized for their project that improves the rate of breastmilk provision upon discharge for infants. The benefits of breastfeeding extend well beyond the immediate, reinforcing essential gut health and fostering long-term mother-infant bonding.
Finally, Peyton Manning Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, received the award for its commitment to improving survival rates for infants born at less than 27 weeks of gestation while working to reduce the severity of long-term health conditions. Their innovative practices highlight the determination to support the most vulnerable patients.
The awarded teams implemented their quality improvement projects by adhering to VON's core values, including effective measurement for data-driven decisions, drawing from evidence-based practices, involving family partners actively in improvement teams, and fostering health equity. Each hospital participated in the All Care is Brain Care program, which provides access to a plethora of interactive toolkits designed around evidence-based better practices.
By utilizing these resources, teams are encouraged to adapt improvement ideas to their unique circumstances and rigorously test their effectiveness within their respective units, all under the guidance of VON experts. Such substantial adjustments to healthcare are pivotal as the hospitals reflect on qualitative measures that profoundly impact the well-being of high-risk infants.
These honored hospitals will share their successful quality improvement stories on the VON website, providing insights and inspiration to other healthcare teams in the global improvement community. Furthermore, this acknowledgment celebrates not just the successes achieved, but it also champions the overarching mission of the VON to enhance the quality, safety, and efficacy of healthcare for newborns and their families. As the healthcare sector continues to confront the myriad challenges of neonatal care, such recognitions play a crucial role in fostering an environment of excellence and commitment to continual improvement.
Vermont Oxford Network (VON) is a nonprofit community of healthcare professionals focused on improving newborn care quality, safety, and value. It utilizes comprehensive databases to enhance practices through evidence-based evaluation and improvement methodologies. VON seeks to address complex challenges in newborn care, aiming to provide better outcomes through thorough engagement with quality improvement principles.
The recipients of the 2024 award include major hospitals recognized for their innovative approaches to quality improvement in infant care. One notable winner is Duke Children's Hospital located in Durham, North Carolina, which was honored for their project that focused on standardizing delayed umbilical cord clamping. This practice has been shown to significantly benefit infants, contributing to better transition outcomes after birth.
Another organization, Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, received accolades for successfully increasing the number of infants receiving essential skin-to-skin care (also known as 'kangaroo care') within their first 72 hours of life. This crucial bonding opportunity between infants and their parents has proven vital for promoting healthy development.
Lankenau Medical Center, situated in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, was recognized for its efforts to reduce the rates of severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in infants and improve the timeliness of skin-to-skin care implementations. This proactive approach underscores the importance of quality improvement in minimizing complications that often arise in vulnerable newborns.
In California, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford stood out for their initiative aimed at decreasing the interval between an infant's birth and the initiation of 'kangaroo care'. By minimizing this wait time, the hospital aims to significantly enhance the supportive environment critical for newborns'
development.
Texas-based Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center was also among the honored hospitals, recognized for their project that improves the rate of breastmilk provision upon discharge for infants. The benefits of breastfeeding extend well beyond the immediate, reinforcing essential gut health and fostering long-term mother-infant bonding.
Finally, Peyton Manning Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, received the award for its commitment to improving survival rates for infants born at less than 27 weeks of gestation while working to reduce the severity of long-term health conditions. Their innovative practices highlight the determination to support the most vulnerable patients.
The awarded teams implemented their quality improvement projects by adhering to VON's core values, including effective measurement for data-driven decisions, drawing from evidence-based practices, involving family partners actively in improvement teams, and fostering health equity. Each hospital participated in the All Care is Brain Care program, which provides access to a plethora of interactive toolkits designed around evidence-based better practices.
By utilizing these resources, teams are encouraged to adapt improvement ideas to their unique circumstances and rigorously test their effectiveness within their respective units, all under the guidance of VON experts. Such substantial adjustments to healthcare are pivotal as the hospitals reflect on qualitative measures that profoundly impact the well-being of high-risk infants.
These honored hospitals will share their successful quality improvement stories on the VON website, providing insights and inspiration to other healthcare teams in the global improvement community. Furthermore, this acknowledgment celebrates not just the successes achieved, but it also champions the overarching mission of the VON to enhance the quality, safety, and efficacy of healthcare for newborns and their families. As the healthcare sector continues to confront the myriad challenges of neonatal care, such recognitions play a crucial role in fostering an environment of excellence and commitment to continual improvement.
About Vermont Oxford Network
Vermont Oxford Network (VON) is a nonprofit community of healthcare professionals focused on improving newborn care quality, safety, and value. It utilizes comprehensive databases to enhance practices through evidence-based evaluation and improvement methodologies. VON seeks to address complex challenges in newborn care, aiming to provide better outcomes through thorough engagement with quality improvement principles.
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