Improving the Practice of Delayed Cord Clamping at American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC): A Quality Improvement Project

Background: Delayed cord clamping (DCC) is recommended for infants who do not require immediate resuscitation, but reliable implementation requires coordination across delivery-room teams. This quality-improvement project aimed to increase DCC uptake at AUBMC to 80%, promote clamping at ≥60 s and improve staff knowledge. Methods: Monthly aggregate records from January 2024 to February 2025 were analyzed in a single-center, uncontrolled QI evaluation. A multidisciplinary intervention package, reported to have commenced in September 2024, combined education, timing support, protocol/checklist development and electronic documentation initiatives. The primary measure was the proportion of tabulated deliveries classified as DCC, rather than independently verified adherence to a measured clamping interval. Counts, Wilson 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and an exploratory run chart were used. Results: The monthly dataset contained 956 deliveries, including 417 classified as DCC (43.6%). The median monthly proportion increased from 42.24% in January–February 2024 to 67.03% in January–February 2025. The 80% target was not achieved. An exploratory above-median sequence began before the reported intervention start, limiting attribution. Duration data and adequately characterized knowledge and safety datasets were unavailable for confirmatory analysis. Conclusions: The project showed partial improvement in documented DCC, with the highest rates observed in January–February 2025. More reliable measurement, explicit delivery-room responsibilities and continued audit are needed before concluding that duration-based adherence, safety or sustainability improved.