New moms and babies benefit through UBT improvements

Value compass: Best quality, best service

Department: Mother/Baby Unit on 2 South, Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center (Northwest)

Problem: Patients were complaining that they were being interrupted frequently during their stay and were not getting the rest they needed. This drove up requests for respite care, which is when a mother asks to have her baby taken to the nursery so she can get some sleep.

Metric: Number of patients who requested respite care, patient satisfaction discharge surveys.

Labor co-lead: Dory Schutte, RN, OFNHP

Management co-lead: Kathy Buhler

Physician co-lead: Janet Leigh, MD

First small test: Instituted a naptime from 1 to 3 p.m. each day. Team communicated with all areas of the hospital so other units knew that naptime was being implemented; requested that other units try to avoid disrupting patients during those hours. In addition, families were informed so that they were also aware of the naptime hours.

Result: The new naptime program was tested over several weeks. Adjustments were made, including changing the time to 2 to 4 p.m. to accommodate other departments that needed to see the patients. In addition, mother/baby staff fine-tuned how they communicated to families about naptime, so that the moms could choose whether or not they wanted visitors during that time. Signage was posted in the unit to remind staff and visitors about the naptime and to keep the noise level down during the identified time. The results have been positive. Feedback from patients has indicated that they like naptime. Requests for respite care have decreased 75%, and mothers are more successful at breast feeding, leading to a decreased use of baby formula.

Next step: The UBT will continue to monitor naptime and make sure it is working well for patients and staff. There are plans to expand the program to gynecological patients on the floor and other departments.