Volume, size, professionals' specialization and nutrition management of NICUs and their association with treatment quality in VLBW infants

Objective To assess the association of volume, size, the availability of highly-specialized professionals and nutrition management of NICUs with treatment quality among VLBW infants. Study design A prospective multicenter study of 923 VLBW infants in 66 German NICUs, born between May and October 2013. Using multilevel modeling, we examined the association between the aforementioned organizational characteristics and treatment quality, measured via major morbidities (severe IVH, PVL, BPD, NEC, FIP, ROP, and discharge without severe complications) and medical process measures of VLBW infants. Results After risk-adjustment and accounting for other NICU characteristics, infants in low-volume NICUs were at higher risk of IVH, ROP and PVL. However, the initial effect of volume on process measures (growth velocity, administration of antenatal steroids) disappeared. Conclusion Volume can only partially explain differences in the treatment quality of VLBWs. The underlying organizational mechanisms should be considered to improve the quality of care.