The Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative’s (VNPC) Late Preterm Infant (LPI) Project has officially reached its halfway point, and we’re thrilled with our participants’ progress thus far.
Since launching earlier this year, representatives of hospitals with newborn nurseries and/or NICUs from across Virginia have come together to form a community of learning. Through monthly calls, participants connect and examine current practices with an overarching goal of sharing information and identifying opportunities to improve care for late preterm infants. Late preterm infants are babies born between 34 and 0/7 to 36 and 6/7 weeks gestation. Late preterm infants account for the majority of preterm births in Virginia and often face challenges such as feeding, thermoregulation, hypoglycemia, and hyperbilirubinemia.
Standing at the halfway point of the LPI Initiative, we’re reflecting on the progress made by participating facilities and looking forward to what’s coming in the second half.
LPI Initiative’s Reach
LPI Initiative participation and reach have been impressive, with hospitals from every level of newborn care contributing to surveys and discussions. Monthly survey participation has been a key indicator of participation, with the following data summarizing engagement thus far:
- 28 hospitals have completed at least one project survey.
- 6 hospitals have completed two surveys.
- 11 hospitals have completed three surveys.
- 5 hospitals have completed all four surveys.
As the LPI Initiative has moved forward, more hospitals have been joining. The latest TA call had 36 participants. Three of the latest additions to LPI’s Community of Learning are Virginia Hospital Center, Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center, and Wythe County Community Hospital. All three hospitals have already completed the upcoming hyperbilirubinemia survey, signaling continued enthusiasm for the work ahead.
LPI Initiative’s Educational Impact
Monthly LPI Initiative surveys help facilities assess their current approaches to key areas of late preterm infant care and compare practices across Virginia. During the calls each month, survey results from the previous month are reviewed and discussed for continued learning and reflection. Participants can then dive deeper into certain topics by downloading educational documents, PowerPoints, and recordings available in VNPC’s LPI Initiative library on Brandfolder.
The Monthly LPI Technical Assistance (TA) Calls have been key in facilitating conversations wherein participants share their experiences, discuss evidence-based practices, and explore unique challenges in caring for late preterm infants in their respective communities.
Topics covered in the first half of the LPI Initiative:
- May 7: Thermoregulation and Hypoglycemia
- June 4: Feeding, Nutrition, and Breastfeeding
The latter half of the LPI initiative’s TA Calls will cover the following topics:
- July 2: Hyperbilirubinemia
- August 6: Discharge Planning and Criteria
- September 3: Follow-Up, Referrals, and Project Wrap-Up
- October 1: Storyboards and Lessons Learned from Participating Hospitals
Below are the participation numbers for each topic survey completed so far in the LPI Initiative.
Thermoregulation
The thermoregulation survey was the first of the LPI initiative, and saw participation from 21 hospitals and 23 nurseries, including:
- 10 Level I nurseries
- 13 Special Care Nurseries (SCNs) and NICUs
Hypoglycemia
The hypoglycemia survey was completed by 15 hospitals and 16 nurseries, including:
- 6 Level I nurseries
- 10 SCNs and NICUs
Feeding, Nutrition, and Breastfeeding
A record number 36 participants representing 18 hospitals joined the June TA call focused on feeding, nutrition, and breastfeeding for late preterm infants. The accompanying feeding survey was completed by 16 hospitals and 17 nurseries, including:
- 7 Level I nurseries
- 10 SCNs and NICUs
Looking Ahead
Reaching the halfway point of LPI is a major milestone, and we have our amazing TA Call Moderators and hospital participants to thank for all the great work done thus far. LPI Participants’ enthusiasm, collaboration, and willingness to evaluate their own current practices are all encouraging signs that this project will have positive impacts on late preterm infant health outcomes. In fact, several participants have already indicated that their participation in the LPI Initiative has inspired change at their own hospitals.
After participating in LPI for just half of the project length thus far,
- 3 nurseries plan to make changes based on what they’ve learned through the project.
- 2 nurseries are writing or planning to write new LPI-related policies and protocols.
- 5 nurseries are actively reviewing their existing policies and procedures.
- 5 nurseries report that they plan on maintaining their current practices after evaluating them against group recommendations.
As we enter the final stretch of the LPI initiative, we look forward to continuing these important conversations, sharing evidence-based practices, and supporting these healthcare professionals as they work to improve outcomes for late preterm infants across Virginia.