Development and implementation of a coordinated, multicentre CHD-focused skin-to-skin-a-thon

Abstract Background: Skin-to-skin care promotes physiologic stability, growth, bonding, and stress reduction for infants and parents. A skin-to-skin-a-thon is a structured event designed to increase awareness and implementation of skin-to-skin care through staff and family education and engagement. A coordinated, multicentre skin-to-skin-a-thon, focused on infants with CHD, has not previously been described. Methods: Participating sites were recruited through a national collaborative and participated in coordinated planning and implementation supported by shared resources. Sites implemented the skin-to-skin-a-thon within their hospital’s existing skin-to-skin care guidelines using shared resources from a standardised “site champion bundle,” which included educational materials, promotional posters, and printable tools. Site leaders reported educational initiatives and promotional strategies used locally. Results: All 22 participating sites had existing holding or skin-to-skin care guidelines at the time of the actual event; however, 9 of 22 sites developed or updated guidelines in the months leading up to the skin-to-skin-a-thon in preparation for the event. Sites adapted materials to local policies, provided staff education, and hosted awareness activities within their cardiac intensive care and/or step-down units. Internal email communication was the most common promotional strategy, while staff education approaches varied. The perceived difficulty of organising the event ranged from very difficult to easy across sites. Conclusions: This skin-to-skin-a-thon successfully united 22 hospitals nationwide, with 42% of Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative-affiliated centres participating. This initiative demonstrates the feasibility of leveraging multicentre collaboration infrastructure and virtual media to support evidence-based practice implementation.