OBJECTIVES: Vaso-occlusive episodes (VOEs) account for the majority of emergency department (ED) visits for children with sickle cell disease (SCD). We hypothesized that addressing key barriers to VOE care would improve receipt of analgesics and outcomes.METHODS: A quality improvement (QI) initiative was conducted from September 2010 to April 2014 to streamline VOE care in an urban pediatric ED. Four interventions were used: a standardized time-specific VOE protocol; intranasal fentanyl as the first parenteral pain medication; an SCD pain medication calculator; and provider and patient/family education. Data were collected for 3 outcome measures (mean time from triage to first parenteral opioid and admission/discharge decision, and proportion discharged from the ED); 1 process measure (mean time from triage to initiation of patient-controlled analgesia); and 4 balancing measures (mean time from triage to second intravenous opioid dose, 24-hour ED readmission, respiratory depression, and length of stay).RESULTS: There were 289 ED visits in the study period. Improvements were seen in mean time to: first dose of parenteral opioid (56 to 23 minutes); second opiate intravenous dose (106 to 83 minutes); admission and discharge decisions (163 to 109 minutes and 271 to 178 minutes, respectively); and initiation of patientcontrolled analgesia (216 to 141 minutes). The proportion discharged from the ED increased from 32% to 48% (x 2 = 6.5402, P = .01). No increase in 24-hour readmission, respiratory depression, or inpatient length of stay was observed.CONCLUSIONS: Using VOE-specific interventions, we significantly improved VOE care for children. Studies are needed to determine if these results can be replicated.

BACKGROUND: Despite increased incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) over the past decade, minimal data exist on benefits of parental presence at the bedside on NAS outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between rates of parental presence and NAS outcomes. METHODS: This was a retrospective, single-center cohort study of infants treated pharmacologically for NAS using a rooming-in model of care. Parental presence was documented every 4 hours with nursing cares. We obtained demographic data for mothers and infants and assessed covariates confounding NAS severity and time spent at the bedside. Outcomes included length of stay (LOS) at the hospital, extent of pharmacotherapy, and mean Finnegan withdrawal score. Multiple linear regression modeling assessed the association of parental presence with outcomes. RESULTS: For the 86 mother–infant dyads, the mean parental presence during scoring was on average 54.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 48.8%–60.7%) of the infant’s hospitalization. Maximum (100%) parental presence was associated with a 9 day shorter LOS (r = –0.31; 95% CI, –0.48 to –0.10; P < .01), 8 fewer days of infant opioid therapy (r = –0.34; 95% CI, –0.52 to –0.15; P < .001), and 1 point lower mean Finnegan score (r = –0.35; 95% CI, –0.52 to –0.15; P < .01). After adjusting for breastfeeding, parental presence remained significantly associated with reduced NAS score and opioid treatment days. CONCLUSIONS: More parental time spent at the infant's bedside was associated with decreased NAS severity. This has important implications for clinical practice guidelines for NAS.

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