The Association Between Routine Car Seat Screening and Subsequent Health Care Utilization

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends preterm newborns undergo car seat tolerance screening (CSTS) before discharge despite limited evidence supporting the practice. We examined subsequent health care utilization in screened and unscreened late preterm and low birth weight newborns. METHODS This observational study included late preterm (34–36 weeks) and term low birth weight (<2268 g) newborns born between 2014 and 2018 at 4 hospitals with policies recommending CSTS for these infants. Birth hospitalization length of stay (LOS) in addition to 30-day hospital revisits and brief resolving unexplained events were examined. Unadjusted and adjusted rates were compared among 3 groups: not screened, pass, and fail. RESULTS Of 5222 newborns, 3163 (61%) were discharged from the nursery and 2059 (39%) from the NICU or floor. Screening adherence was 91%, and 379 of 4728 (8%) screened newborns failed the initial screen. Compared with unscreened newborns, adjusted LOS was similar for newborns who passed the CSTS (+5.1 hours; -2.2–12.3) but significantly longer for those who failed (+16.1; 5.6–26.7). This differed by screening location: nursery = +12.6 (9.1–16.2) versus NICU/floor = +71.2 (28.3–114.1) hours. Hospital revisits did not significantly differ by group: not screened = 7.3% (reference), pass = 5.2% (aOR 0.79; 0.44–1.42), fail = 4.4% (aOR 0.65; 0.28–1.51). CONCLUSIONS Hospital adherence to CSTS recommendations was high, and failed screens were relatively common. Routine CSTS was not associated with reduced health care utilization and may prolong hospital LOS, particularly in the NICU/floor. Prospective trials are needed to evaluate this routine practice for otherwise low-risk infants.