Ep. 52: Hot Topics in Neonatology (Part 3) Fragile Beginnings: Exploring Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Newborns

In the third of our four-part series “Hot Topics in Neonatology” we talk with health care providers who are on the frontlines working to prevent adverse outcomes and improve the quality of care for the most vulnerable babies. SEGMENT 1: Necrotizing enterocolitis  (NEC) is the most common and serious intestinal disease among premature babies. It’s so dire that preventing it has become the life’s work of many who treat pre-term babies, including Dr. Sheila Gephart with the University of Arizona College of Nursing in Tucson. Dr. Gephart and her team have created an NEC prevention protocol bundle that is showing promising outcomes, and she’s using a telementoring tool called Project ECHO to  “force multiply”  implementation and training around the protocol bundle to make large-scale change easier to accomplish at NICU level. SEGMENT 2: Continued quality improvement (QI) is a high priority for every health care system at every level of care — and our nation’s NICUs are no exception. When working with the smallest of babies in the most precarious of medical situations, the principles of high reliability, the reliance upon evidenced-based protocols and practices, the ability to sustain success and to learn from failures are absolute necessities. Neonatologist Dr. Hannah Fischer is Director of Quality Improvement and Safety for the Division of Neonatal Medicine at Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky sits down with us to discuss her philosophy of NICU QI, bringing QI to NICUs across her state, and the quality measures that are critical in the first 60 minutes of the life of of a premature newborn — the so-called "Golden Hour". Guests:Sheila Gephart, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor and Interim Chair, Division of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, University of Arizona, College of Nursing  Hannah Fischer, MD, Associate Professor, Division of Neonatology at the University of Louisville  Producer/Host: Carol VassarFull Series: Part 1, Episode 50The NICU View: Mom & BabyPart 2, Episode 51Fluid Dynamics: What's New in Treating EPRA  Part 4, Episode 53 Babies in Crisis: Understanding Neonatal Abstinence Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or management.  Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.