Abstract
The incidence of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) in the United States has grown
dramatically over the past two decades. Efficient and effective resources and materials for training neonatal
care providers in empirically based practices for NOWS are greatly needed. The goal of the proposed Phase I
STTR project is to develop a highly accessible mobile/web-based multimedia curriculum for training neonatal
health care providers in best practices for assessing and treating NOWS. The project will demonstrate proof-of-
concept and feasibility of a web-based multimedia curriculum that provides a professional development
experience enabling neonatal care providers to successfully assess and administer evidence-based non-
pharmacologic family-centered care for newborns with NOWS. We will develop curriculum content including
scripted video scenarios, interactive learning components, and quizzes delivered via a mobile/web-based
platform. Focus groups with ten neonatal care providers will 33Tinform the content, structure, and style of the new
curriculum by reviewing an existing preliminary version of the curriculum. 33TUsing these focus group data, we will
create multimedia experiences featuring scripted video segments demonstrating core NOWS clinical practices
and procedures. The curriculum will be delivered on a mobile application built within a web-based infrastructure
allowing both app-based and web-based experiences. A community advisory board comprised of members
representing state public health departments and agencies, pediatric healthcare facilities, and pediatric
healthcare associations will provide feedback on the completed modules and offer guidance on further
development, dissemination, and marketing of the curriculum. We will demonstrate usability and commercial
viability of the completed curriculum modules through these interviews and through pilot testing with a sample
of neonatal care providers who will use the completed curriculum modules and complete pre-post NOWS
knowledge tests and after completing the modules complete a product usability assessment. Upon passing our
benchmarks for Phase I, we will propose a Phase II STTR project that will support full production of all modules
in the curriculum as well as an implementation trial to establish the effects of the curriculum on provider
practices and patient outcomes. Following a successful Phase II, the NOWS curriculum will be marketed to
state public health departments and agencies, pediatric healthcare facilities, managed care organizations.
Organizational investment in the curriculum could produce returns many times over by virtue of fewer days of
inpatient hospitalization for newborns with NOWS, less intensive and costly treatment regimens, and improved
health outcomes driven by reductions in medically unnecessary pharmacologic treatments and increased use
of non-pharmacologic family-centered interventions.
