Persevering in the Face of the Opioid Epidemic: A Passion for Family Centered NAS Care
Nichole Lensing, PT, DPT
Jennie Jacob, MSPT, CNT
Opioid exposure in neonates continues to be a national epidemic with significant associated hospital costs and public health implications related to family integrity and infant development. The NICU at Banner University Medical Center – Tucson (BUMC-T) has changed its model of care by utilizing the family as the primary treatment for the substance exposed infant. By keeping the family unified, we have decreased the need for postnatal opioids, reduced length of stay (LOS), decreased costs related to hospitalization, and decreased foster care placements and its strain on public resources. The program at BUMC-T, called Family Centered NAS Care (FC-NAS), was based on Yale New Haven’s Eat Sleep Console NAS program. Families stay with the infant and provide all care, with support and education provided by the NICU team. Changing the culture of the NICU to support a family in transition is instrumental to success. The FC-NAS program identifies families as early in pregnancy as possible, works closely with community partners to ensure a successful and safe transition home, and continues developmental assessment in follow up clinic through the age of 3. Since the initiation of this program in June of 2017, we have provided FC-NAS care for 24 family-baby dyads. To date, our average length of stay is 6.4 days, rescue morphine was provided in only 5 infants, 22 infants remained in the care of their family, and daily cost of hospitalization was decreased resulting in over $2 million in savings. This presentation is an extension of the poster “Family Centered NAS Care” from NANT 8. Updates will cover: program development, cost savings, community continuity and outreach, as well as outcomes. There will also be a focus on the importance of treating each family in our care independently and individually, without bias and judgment, to more successfully meet their needs.
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