Improving Parental Knowledge of Medically Complex Neonates Through Scheduled Conferences

Reports of parental dissatisfaction from incomplete or inconsistent information led to a quality improvement (QI) project to establish planned family conferences at 10 days and 1 month of life, for 50% of the medically complex neonates admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit within 1 year. A QI team instituted a system in which social workers scheduled family conferences and a neonatologist conducted the conferences. Team members tracked measures using statistical process control charts over 21 months. The QI team scheduled conferences for greater than 80% of eligible families, with an 86% completion rate on days 10 and 30, exceeding project goals of 50%. The majority of the families surveyed were satisfied with the meetings. Only 2% of parents surveyed found meetings burdensome, compared to 14% of physicians. A sustainable method for scheduling meetings and preparation for conferences, including the use of a template led to success.