It Is Time to ACT NOW to Improve Quality for Opioid-Exposed Infants

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Variation in pediatric medical care is common and contributes to differences in patient outcomes. Site-to-site variation in the characteristics and care of infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) has yet to be quantified. Our objective was to describe site-to-site variation in maternal-infant characteristics, infant management, and outcomes for infants with NOWS. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 1377 infants born between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017, who were ≥36 weeks’ gestation, with NOWS (evidence of opioid exposure and NOWS scoring within the first 120 hours of life) born at or transferred to 1 of 30 participating hospitals nationwide. Site-to-site variation for each parameter within the 3 domains was measured as the range of individual site-level means, medians, or proportions. RESULTS: Sites varied widely in the proportion of infants whose mothers received adequate prenatal care (31.3%–100%), medication-assisted treatment (5.9%–100%), and prenatal counseling (1.9%–75.5%). Sites varied in the proportion of infants with toxicology screening (50%–100%) and proportion of infants receiving pharmacologic therapy (6.7%–100%), secondary medications (1.1%–69.2%), and nonpharmacologic interventions including fortified feeds (2.9%–90%) and maternal breast milk (22.2%–83.3%). The mean length of stay varied across sites (2–28.8 days), as did the proportion of infants discharged with their parents (33.3%–91.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Considerable site-to-site variation exists in all 3 domains. The magnitude of the observed variation makes it unlikely that all infants are receiving efficient and effective care for NOWS. This variation should be considered in future clinical trial development, practice implementation, and policy development.