A Quality Improvement Initiative to Improve Feeding and Growth of Infants With Cleft Lip and/or Palate:

Objective:The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to improve feeding and growth outcomes in infants with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P).Design:Institute for Healthcare Improvement quality improvement model.Setting:Large pediatric academic medical center in the Midwestern United States.Participants:One hundred forty-five infants with nonsyndromic CL/P ages 0 to 12 months.Interventions:Key drivers included (1) caregiver education and resources, (2) care coordination and flow, and (3) provider education and training. Interventions were designed around these themes and included targeting improved team communication, increased social work consultations, patient tracking, staff education, improved access to feeding equipment, and the launch of a new cleft palate feeding team.Main Outcome Measure(s):The primary outcome measure was the percentage of new patients with CL/P who met criteria for failure to thrive (FTT) per month. The secondary outcome measure was the frequency of hospitalization for i...