Evaluating the effect of hospital setting on outcomes for neonatal abstinence syndrome

This study aims to evaluate the impact of hospital setting on outcomes for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome. We conducted a retrospective study in two hospitals and three different hospital units. The inpatient group (n = 60) was managed on general inpatient floors, the NICU group (n = 50) was managed primarily in an NICU, and the combination group (n = 49) was managed in both NICU and inpatient units. The primary outcome was length of stay. Secondary outcomes included breastfeeding rates, morphine usage rates, and hospital costs. The length of stay in the inpatient group (8.5 days) was significantly lower than the combination group (18 days) and NICU group (23 days) (p < 0.01). The inpatient group had significantly lower rates of morphine treatment and hospital costs with no difference in breastfeeding rates. Infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome had a significantly shorter length of stay and less use of morphine when managed on inpatient units versus NICU.