Learning & Implementing Guidelines for Hyperbilirubinemia Treatment (LIGHT) Evaluation

This project sought to implement the evidence-based AAP clinical practice guideline in a national QI collaborative designed to improve and standardize care of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Using the recommendations in the clinical practice guideline, the QI effort will provide physicians with education about evidence-based best practice, strategies for implementation, and tools to bring about sustainable change, while also assessing the implementation strategies associated the greatest success. Providing multi-disciplinary teams with quality improvement education and tools specific to management of children with hyperbilirubinemia will increase compliance with the evidence-based research and thereby decrease overuse of non-evidence-based therapies and tests.

Project Aim(s):
The primary aim is to assess the impact of implementing a new evidence-based clinical practice guideline for infants with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. We hypothesize that participating institutions will decrease the proportion of infants who receive phototherapy below treatment threshold, increase the proportion of infants who undergo appropriate direct antiglobulin tests (DAT), decrease the proportion of infants who receive IV fluids during phototherapy, and decrease the proportion of low-risk infants who have early bilirubin follow-up after phototherapy treatment.