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The rooming-in drawer!

May 10, 2023

In the literature...


Eat, Sleep, Console Approach or Usual Care for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal - As compared with usual care, use of the Eat, Sleep, Console care approach significantly decreased the number of days until infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome were medically ready for discharge, without increasing specified adverse outcomes.


See a discussion of this article here


The Alberta Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Mother-Baby Care ImprovEmeNT (NASCENT) program: protocol for a stepped wedge cluster randomized trial of a hospital-level Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome rooming-in intervention


Background Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), a problem common in newborns exposed to substances in-utero, is an emerging health concern. In traditional models of care, infants with NAS are routinely separated from their mothers and admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with long, expensive length of stay (LOS). Research shows a rooming-in approach (keeping mothers and infants together in hospital) with referral support is a safe and effective model of care in managing NAS. The model’s key components are facilitating 24-h care by mothers on post-partum or pediatric units with support for breastfeeding, transition home, and access to Opioid Dependency Programs (ODP). This study will implement the rooming-in approach at eight hospitals across one Canadian Province; support practice and culture shift; identify and test the essential elements for effective implementation; and assess the implementation’s impact/outcomes.


Methods A stepped wedge cluster randomized trial will be used to evaluate the implementation of an evidence-based rooming-in approach in the postpartum period for infants born to mothers who report opioid use during pregnancy. Baseline data will be collected and compared to post-implementation data. Six-month assessment of maternal

and child health and an economic evaluation of cost savings will be conducted. Additionally, barriers and facilitators of the rooming-in model of care within the unique context of each site and across sites will be explored pre-, during,

and post-implementation using theory-informed surveys, interviews, and focus groups with care teams and parents. A formative evaluation will examine the complex contextual factors and conditions that influence readiness and sustainability and inform the design of tailored interventions to facilitate capacity building for effective implementation.


Discussion The primary expected outcome is reduced NICU LOS. Secondary expected outcomes include decreased rates of pharmacological management of NAS and child apprehension, increased maternal ODP participation, and improved 6-month outcomes for mothers and infants.

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