Improving timeliness of newborn screens in the neonatal intensive care unit: a quality improvement initiative

Background Despite the established utility of newborn screening tests (NBS), achieving timely specimen transit is a challenge for neonatal intensive care units (NICU). Methods This project was conducted between September 2017 and July 2020 using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) tool. Our primary aim was to increase the percent of NBS samples reaching the state laboratory within 1 day of collection by 20% by April 2020. Process, outcome, and balancing measures were monitored. Results Five hundred and eighty-five NBS were collected. There was special cause variation with improvement in the percent of samples received within 1 day of collection from 28 to 77%. Special cause variation was also observed in the process measures without an increase in the percent of unacceptable samples. Conclusions Standardizing the NBS collection processes by adopting a sample collection window and same day courier pickup ensures timely specimen transit without adversely affecting the quality of samples collected.