Phototherapy Use in Jaundiced Newborns in a Large Managed Care Organization: Do Clinicians Adhere to the Guideline?

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objective. In 1994, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a practice guideline with age-specific thresholds for phototherapy for healthy term newborns with hyperbilirubinemia. The purpose of this study was to examine adherence to the guideline in a large managed care organization.Methods. We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of linked computerized databases from 11 Northern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program hospitals. Newborn infants included were at least 37 weeks of gestation, had birth weights of at least 2500 g, and were born between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 1996. The primary outcome variable for the study was receipt of phototherapy according to the guideline. Total serum bilirubin (TSB) and infant age in hours at the time of bilirubin measurement were used to classify infants into 3 groups according to the AAP guideline: recommend phototherapy (R), consider phototherapy (C), and did not recommend phototherapy (N). Group R included infants with TSB levels of at least 15 mg/dL before 48 hours of age, at least 18 mg/dL before 72 hours, or at least 20 mg/dL after 72 hours. Group C included infants not in group R, with TSB levels of at least 12 mg/dL before 48 hours, 15 mg/dL before 72 hours, or at least 17 mg/dL after 72 hours. Group N included infants who were in neither group R nor group C and also did not have significant jaundice before 24 hours of age. Phototherapy codes from electronic databases were validated by chart review for a subset of 550 infants.Results. Compared with chart review, phototherapy codes in the database were 94.4% sensitive (95% confidence interval [CI]: 89.1%-97.5%) and 100% specific (95% CI: 99.25%-100%). Among the 47 801 infants eligible, 2.3% received phototherapy. Phototherapy was administered to 54% of 1194 infants in group R (range across hospitals: 27%-77%), 16% of 2245 infants in group C (range: 5%-37%), and 0.2% of 44 362 infants in group N (range: 0.1%-0.6%). The predictors of phototherapy for group R, the group for whom phototherapy was recommended, determined by logistic regression were increasing TSB levels (odds ratio [OR]: 1.6/mg/dL; 95% CI: 1.4 -1.7), reaching the AAP threshold at 24 to 47.9 hours of age compared with 48 hours or more (OR: 7.1; 95% CI: 4.3-11.9), gestational age of 37 weeks compared with 38 weeks or more (OR: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1-2.3), age when phototherapy was first recommended (OR: 0.7/d; 95% CI: 0.6 -0.8), and facility of birth (OR: 0.2-2.7). The facility of birth was a strong predictor of phototherapy use in all groups (R, C, and N).Conclusions. Clinicians provided phototherapy to only 54% of term infants with hyperbilirubinemia for whom it was recommended by the AAP. There is marked interhospital variation in phototherapy use in this large managed care system. Improved adherence to the guideline would require only a slight increase in the total rate of phototherapy use if unnecessary use for infants with lower levels of TSB were simultaneously decreased. I n 1994, the American Academy ...

Clinician Adherence to Guideline for Phototherapy Use in Newborns

“…5 Significant differences in phototherapy use in different hospitals within the same health care system has been reported previously. 2,6 In a study of 11 Kaiser Permanente hospitals, the single most important predictor of phototherapy use, according to AAP guidelines, was hospital of birth. 6 In this study, infants at the hospital that uses pediatric nurse practitioners received phototherapy less often according to the guideline.…”

“…2,6 In a study of 11 Kaiser Permanente hospitals, the single most important predictor of phototherapy use, according to AAP guidelines, was hospital of birth. 6 In this study, infants at the hospital that uses pediatric nurse practitioners received phototherapy less often according to the guideline. Although this may be a factor in the interhospital variation in this study, it does not explain the variation in the Kaiser Permanente study.…”

“…Although this may be a factor in the interhospital variation in this study, it does not explain the variation in the Kaiser Permanente study. 6 It was disappointing that the addition of the phototherapy nomogram to the predischarge nomogram was not associated with improved adherence to AAP phototherapy guidelines. Confusion regarding the predischarge nomogram and clinician misuse of it to initiate phototherapy has been reported previously.…”

“…It also has been suggested that interventions to increase adherence to phototherapy guidelines be targeted at hospitals rather than at individual clinicians. 6 Fortunately, the AAP recently developed a "Safe and Healthy Beginnings Toolkit" for the sole purpose of helping hospital nurseries implement the AAP hyperbilirubinemia guideline. 9 …”

Management of neonatal hazards in intensive care units: a review

“…Phototherapy is the primary treatment in neonates with unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia.and phototherapy is very safe and may have no serious long-term effects in neonates. 103 Exchange transfusion became the second-line treatment when phototherapy failed to control serum bilirubin levels. However, data have shown that treatment with IVIG in infants with Rh or ABO isoimmunization can significantly reduce the need for exchange transfusions.…”