Clinical guidance for hyperbilirubinemia management

Project Partners

• Physician Learning Program (PLP)

• Office of Lifelong Learning (L3)

• Alberta Health Services’ Children’s Health Program Improvement & Integration Network (PIN)

• Dr. Jack Rabi

• Dr. Kathleen Hicks

Background

Hyperbilirubinemia in newborns is a common condition, but if not properly managed, it can lead to serious complications. Ensuring early detection and timely treatment is essential to reducing the risk of severe cases, especially in infants born at or after 35 weeks’ gestation. Updated clinical guidance has been developed to standardize care across Alberta, emphasizing risk identification, diagnosis, and coordinated follow-up.

Aims/Objectives

• Disseminate updated provincial clinical guidance for hyperbilirubinemia management

• Enhance early risk recognition and timely intervention among healthcare providers

• Improve community-based post-discharge follow-up

• Support continuing education for practitioners across care settings

• Engage multidisciplinary healthcare providers through accessible, flexible learning formats

Findings/Summary

PLP, L3, and AHS PIN collaborated with clinical experts to deliver two province-wide educational sessions focused on hyperbilirubinemia management. Targeting a broad audience of physicians, midwives, nurses, and pediatricians, the initiative included live webinars, on-demand materials, and distribution of an updated clinical management document. The sessions reached over 500 healthcare professionals across Alberta. From 444 registrants, 250 attended live, with an additional 73 participating asynchronously. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive: 100% of respondents reported the sessions were relevant, met their learning needs, and supported reflection on their clinical practice. Furthermore, 90% indicated the content inspired their future care approach.

Conclusions/Outcomes/Impact/Implications

This initiative successfully expanded awareness and implementation of standardized hyperbilirubinemia management practices across Alberta. The broad reach and high satisfaction rates reflect its effectiveness in supporting clinical knowledge translation. The emphasis on early recognition and intervention is expected to improve health outcomes for newborns while promoting continuity of care across hospital and community settings.