Updates

First Health Moore Regional has been focused on improving the care of late preterm infants since the initiative kicked off in January 2024. They have been conducting PDSA cycles and preparing a change package for staff and providers with a go-live date of September 1, 2024.  They have officially gone live and are celebrating and creating awareness in the community regarding their efforts to improve care for the late preterm infant population.

As staff complete aspects of education around the late preterm infant, they are provided with a t-shirt promoting excitement around the work. 

As teams progress through the Care of the Late Preterm Infant initiative, feeding has been a strong focus of the work. Many teams have invested time ensuring LATCH scores are being completed consistently and that staff understand what defines a poor LATCH score and what the appropriate follow-up should be for a less-than-ideal score.  Several teams have created tools to help staff determine the best support for mothers with low LATCH scores, ensuring they can continue to breastfeed their infants, a crucial aspect of their care. 

Additionally, several teams have developed feeding algorithms to guide providers in assessing weight loss and determining if an infant meets the criteria to begin supplementation. Participating teams have shared many tools to strengthen the feeding support of late preterm infants.

Participating teams in the Care of the Late Preterm Infant initiative will attend one of two regional meetings scheduled for April. The Eastern Regional meeting will be held on April 19, 2024, in Greenville, North Carolina, on the campus of East Carolina University at the Monroe Conference Center. The Western Regional meeting will be held on April 25, 2024, at the Novant Health Forsyth Conference Center.  Both Regional meetings will provide teams an opportunity to discuss syphilis testing, safe sleep resources for parents and staff, and feeding support approaches and practices for late preterm infants. 

The Care of the Late Preterm Infant initiative kicked off on January 10, 2024 with teams across North Carolina ready to improve the care provided to the late preterm population. Hospital teams worked on preparing their quality improvement plans by identifying priorities and the necessary steps to reach their goals. There was great collaboration between individual hospitals and hospital systems as teams strategized and learned from each other.