Interdisciplinary collaborative eye examinations to protect preterm infant neurodevelopment: a quality improvement project.

Introduction: Infants born <31 weeks gestational age with birth weight ≤ 1,500 grams receive routine eye examinations to screen for Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) while in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to help prevent vision threatening complications; however, preterm infants' sensory systems are underdeveloped, and repeated exposure to painful stimuli is associated with worse developmental outcomes.

Methods: An interdisciplinary NICU team designed a collaborative eye exam model (CEEM) incorporating best practice recommendations for infant pain control during exams. Pain scores and vital signs were recorded before, during, and after exams.