Experiences of a Regional Quality Improvement Collaborative to Reduce Unplanned Extubations in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Background: Unplanned extubations (UEs) occur frequently in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). These events can be associated with serious short-term and long-term morbidities and increased healthcare costs. Most quality improvement (QI) initiatives focused on UE prevention have concentrated efforts within individual NICUs. Methods: We formed a regional QI collaborative involving the four regional perinatal center (RPC) NICUs in upstate New York to reduce UEs. The collaborative promoted shared learning and targeted interventions specific to UE classification at each center. Results: There were 1167 UEs overall during the four-year project. Following implementation of one or more PDSA cycles, the combined UE rate decreased by 32% from 3.7 to 2.5 per 100 ventilator days across the collaborative. A special cause variation was observed for the subtype of UEs involving removed endotracheal tubes (rETTs), but not for dislodged endotracheal tubes (dETTs). The center-specific UE rates varied; only two centers observed significant improvement. Conclusions: A collaborative approach promoted knowledge sharing and fostered an overall improvement, although the individual centers’ successes varied. Frequent communication and shared learning experiences benefited all the participants, but local care practices and varying degrees of QI experience affected each center’s ability to successfully implement potentially better practices to prevent UEs.