DMAIC Approach for the Reduction of Healthcare-Associated Infections in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the University Hospital of Naples ‘Federico II’

Improvements in the obstetrical and neonatal management have allowed children to survive. These enhancements have showed, anyway, a general increased incidence of healthcare-associated infections, one of the most influent causes of morbidity and mortality in neonatal intensive care units. The aim of this paper is to suggest corrective measures to reduce sentinel germs colonization and identify the relationships between bacteria colonization with the number of procedures and the length of hospital stay. The Lean Six Sigma methodology was used to tackle this issue using a tailored Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control problem-solving strategy. An increased number of procedures and an extended length of hospital stay demonstrated a statistically significant influence on newborns’ possibility to be infected by sentinel germs. These findings could guide the clinical staff to improve the management of neonates in neonatal intensive care units reducing the number of infected patients, their length of hospital stay and the costs for the hospital. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.