First week of integral health for the newborn: nursing actions of the Family Health Strategy. / Primeira semana saúde integral do recém-nascido: ações de enfermeiros da Estratégia Saúde da Família.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the nurses' actions of the Family Health Strategy about the First Week for Integral Health regarding the care devoted to the newborn. METHOD: It is a descriptive, exploratory research with qualitative approach carried out from October 2014 to February 2015, through a semi-structured interview, with nine nurses from the Family Health Strategy of João Pessoa-PB. Data were submitted to thematic analysis. RESULTS: The actions identified at the first visit to the newborn child are based on maternal guidance on basic newborn care, breastfeeding, neonatal screening, immunization and childcare, as well as evaluation of the puerperal, but it was sometimes performed outside the period recommended and with incomplete and outdated guidelines. CONCLUSION: Although there are potentialities in nurses' actions to this population, the fragilities compromise the care of the newborn and the puerperium, and it is necessary to sensitize these professionals about the importance and effectiveness of First Week for Integral Health.

Primeira semana saúde integral do recém-nascido: ações de enfermeiros da Estratégia Saúde da Família / Primera semana salud integral del recién-nacido: acciones de enfermeros de la Estrategia Salud de la Familia / First week of integral health for the newborn: nursing actions of the Family Health Strategy

Resumo OBJETIVO Descrever as ações de enfermeiros da Estratégia Saúde da Família acerca da Primeira Semana Saúde Integral no cuidado ao recém-nascido. MÉTODO Pesquisa descritiva, exploratória com abordagem qualitativa realizada de outubro de 2014 a fevereiro de 2015, por meio de entrevista semiestruturada, com nove enfermeiros da Estratégia Saúde da Família de João Pessoa-PB. Os dados foram submetidos à análise temática. RESULTADOS As ações identificadas na primeira visita ao bebê se baseiam nas orientações maternas acerca dos cuidados básicos ao recém-nascido, aleitamento materno, testes de triagem neonatal, imunização e puericultura, bem como avaliação da puérpera, no entanto, por vezes eram realizadas fora do período recomendado e com orientações incompletas e desatualizadas. CONCLUSÃO Embora haja potencialidades nas ações dos enfermeiros prestadas a essa população, as fragilidades comprometem a assistência ao neonato e à puérpera, sendo necessário sensibilizar esses profissionais acerca da importância e eficácia da Primeira Semana Saúde Integral.

Resumen OBJETIVO Describir las acciones de enfermeros de la Estrategia Salud de la Familia acerca de la Primera Semana Salud Integral en la atención al recién-nacido. MÉTODO Investigación descriptiva, exploratoria con abordaje calitativo, realizada de octubre de 2014 hacia febrero de 2015, por medio de entrevista semiestructurada, con nueve enfermeros de la Estrategia Salud de la Familia de João Pessoa-PB. Los datos fueron sometidos al análisis temático. RESULTADOS Las acciones identificadas en la primera visita al bebé se basan en las orientaciones maternas sobre los cuidados básicos al recién nacido, la lactancia materna, las pruebas de selección neonatal, la inmunización y la puericultura, así como la evaluación de la puérpera, pero a veces se realizaban fuera del período recomendado y con directrices incompletas y obsoletas. CONCLUSIÓN Aunque hay potencialidades en las acciones de los enfermeros prestadas a esa población, las fragilidades comprometen la asistencia al neonato y a la puérpera, siendo necesario sensibilizar a esos profesionales acerca de la importancia y eficacia de la Primera Semana Salud Integral.

Abstract OBJECTIVE To describe the nurses' actions of the Family Health Strategy about the First Week for Integral Health regarding the care devoted to the newborn. METHOD It is a descriptive, exploratory research with qualitative approach carried out from October 2014 to February 2015, through a semi-structured interview, with nine nurses from the Family Health Strategy of João Pessoa-PB. Data were submitted to thematic analysis. RESULTS The actions identified at the first visit to the newborn child are based on maternal guidance on basic newborn care, breastfeeding, neonatal screening, immunization and childcare, as well as evaluation of the puerperal, but it was sometimes performed outside the period recommended and with incomplete and outdated guidelines. CONCLUSION Although there are potentialities in nurses' actions to this population, the fragilities compromise the care of the newborn and the puerperium, and it is necessary to sensitize these professionals about the importance and effectiveness of First Week for Integral Health.

Adaptation of non-technical skills behavioural markers for delivery room simulation.

BACKGROUND: Simulation in healthcare has proved to be a useful method in improving skills and increasing the safety of clinical operations. The debriefing session, after the simulated scenario, is the core of the simulation, since it allows participants to integrate the experience with the theoretical frameworks and the procedural guidelines. There is consistent evidence for the relevance of non-technical skills (NTS) for the safe and efficient accomplishment of operations. However, the observation, assessment and feedback on these skills is particularly complex, because the process needs expert observers and the feedback is often provided in judgmental and ineffective ways. The aim of this study was therefore to develop and test a set of observation and rating forms for the NTS behavioural markers of multi-professional teams involved in delivery room emergency simulations (MINTS-DR, Multi-professional Inventory for Non-Technical Skills in the Delivery Room). METHODS: The MINTS-DR was developed by adapting the existing tools and, when needed, by designing new tools according to the literature. We followed a bottom-up process accompanied by interviews and co-design between practitioners and psychology experts. The forms were specific for anaesthetists, gynaecologists, nurses/midwives, assistants, plus a global team assessment tool. We administered the tools in five editions of a simulation training course that involved 48 practitioners. Ratings on usability and usefulness were collected. RESULTS: The mean ratings of the usability and usefulness of the tools were not statistically different to or higher than 4 on a 5-point rating scale. In either case no significant differences were found across professional categories. CONCLUSION: The MINTS-DR is quick and easy to administer. It is judged to be a useful asset in maximising the learning experience that is provided by the simulation.

Influencing factors for high quality care on postpartum haemorrhage in the Netherlands: patient and professional perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) remains a major contributor to maternal morbidity even in high resource settings, despite the development and dissemination of evidence-based guidelines and Advance-Trauma-Life-Support (ATLS) based courses for optimal management of PPH. We aimed to assess current influencing factors (obstacles and facilitators) for the delivery of high quality PPH-care from both patient and professional perspective. METHODS: We qualitatively explored influencing factors for delivering high quality PPH-care, by having individual interviews with PPH-patients and focus group interviews with the different types of professionals working in the delivery room. For both perspectives, the theoretical frameworks of Grol and Cabana were used to classify the influencing factors for optimal PPH-care (factors of the guidelines, of professionals, of patients, of the social setting and of the organisation). In order to assess the importance of the influencing factors found among the professionals, we quantified these factors in a web-based questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 12 patients and 41 professionals participated in the interviews, and 315 complete surveys were analyzed. The main obstacle for high quality PPH-care identified by patients was the lack of information given by the professionals to the patient and partner before, during and after the PPH event. An informative patient website, a patient leaflet and a follow-up consultation were mentioned as facilitators. The main obstacles according to the professionals were: lack of clarity of the guidelines, lack of knowledge and failing team-communication. Team training and checklists/ flowcharts were considered facilitators. CONCLUSIONS: Different obstacles to the delivery of high quality PPH-care were identified by both patients and professionals. These data can be used to develop a focused strategy to improve PPH-care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT 00928863.

Nurses and midwives professional support increases with improved attitudes - design and effects of a longitudinal randomized controlled process-oriented intervention.

BACKGROUND: Becoming parents for the first time is challenging. Mothers need both social and professional support to handle these challenges. Professionals' attitudes affect quality of care and support. So to improve professional support, an intervention consisting of a process-oriented training was performed. Due to the positive results of the intervention there is a need to illuminate the methodological approach further. The overall aim was therefore to describe a methodological approach to improve and evaluate health care professionals' attitudes toward breastfeeding and parental support in order to improve quality of care in childbearing. METHODS: This study was a longitudinal randomized control intervention study, in which groups of mothers received care in childbearing from midwives and child health nurses. These health professionals had gone through a process-oriented training, or not. In order to improve attitudes of health professionals the training was based on evidence, practical skills and reflective processes (both private and professional experiences) in relation to breastfeeding and parental support. Included in the longitudinal study were health professionals from five intervention municipalities n = 36 and health professionals from five control municipalities n = 45. All mothers who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were consecutively identified from the hospital register and asked to participate in the study. Mothers who accepted to participate were included in the interventions group (n = 206) or control groups (n = 162, n = 172 respectively) based on which municipality they belonged to. RESULTS: The results of the process-oriented training improved the professionals' attitudes toward breastfeeding and parental support. These improved attitudes in health professionals increased intervention-group mother's satisfaction with professional and social support. Intervention-group mother's relation to and feelings for their baby as well as breastfeeding was also improved. CONCLUSION: These results stress the importance of professionals' attitude in quality of care during childbearing, as well as pointing to the possibility to improve professionals' attitudes with a process-oriented training. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), trial registration: ACTRN12611000354987 .

Access, boundaries and confidence: The ABC of facilitating continuity of care experience in midwifery education.

BACKGROUND: To register as a midwife in Australia, students must complete minimum requirements of clinical experiences throughout their programme. This includes following women through their childbirth journey in order to gain continuity of care experience. Research suggests that women and students find the continuity of care experience (COCE) valuable. Nevertheless, students cite difficulty in achieving these experiences. Aim This project sought to explore the challenges and identify supportive strategies for midwifery students undertaking the COCE. METHODS: This project adopted an action research approach incorporating the four stages of planning, action, observation and reflection. This paper specifically reports the findings from the planning stage in which a focus group with education providers, facilitator and students was conducted and a survey with students (n=69) was undertaken. Key themes were identified through thematic analysis and a number of actions were proposed. FINDINGS: Three main themes, 'access', 'boundaries' and 'confidence' were identified as challenges for students undertaking the COCE. Students raised concern regarding lack of access to women for COCE. They identified a need to establish clear professional and personal boundaries in managing the COCE. Students also highlighted the significance of confidence on the success of their experience. Throughout the study students identified strategies that could assist in the COCE. CONCLUSION: There is a need for clarity and support around the COCE for all stakeholders. Placing the COCE within a Service Learning model is one response that ensures that this experience is understood as being symbiotic for women and students and enables supportive actions to be developed and implemented.

Análisis comparativo de las principales Escuelas de Educación Maternal / Comparative analysis of main Childbirth Education Schools

Justificación: Los programas de educación prenatal son una poderosa herramienta para aumentar la salud materno-infantil. Hoy no se conoce el enfoque educativo más eficaz. Objetivo principal: Conocer las diferencias de enfoque y metodología de las principales escuelas de educación maternal. Metodología: Revisión de las bases de datos PubMed, Embase, Lilacs, Scielo y Cochrane desde el año 2000. Revisión de las páginas web de las escuelas. Estudio de la documentación mediante el método comparativo. Análisis mediante una base de datos con el programa Excel. Resultados principales: Se analizan y comparan las 5 primeras escuelas y 10 de las nuevas escuelas emergentes. Conclusión principal: el trabajo permite conocer el enfoque conceptual y la metodología de las escuelas, lo que puede facilitar la elección a los profesionales y el diseño de investigaciones para aumentar la calidad de los programas (AU)

Justification: prenatal education programs are a powerful tool to increase maternal and child health. Today no one knows the most effective educational approach. Objective: To identify differences in approaching and methodology of the major schools of childbirth education. Methods: Review of the databases PubMed, Embase, Lilacs, Scielo and Cochrane since 2000. Review the websites of the schools. Study the documentation using the comparative method. Analysis using a database with Excel. Results: are analyzed and compared the 5 old one schools and 10 of emerging new one schools. Conclusions: The paper explains the conceptual approach and methodology of the schools, which can facilitate the choice for professionals and research design to increase the quality of programs (AU)

Exploring the 'follow-through experience': a statewide survey of midwifery students and academics conducted in Victoria, Australia.

OBJECTIVE: Follow-through experiences (which enable midwifery students to experience continuity of care with individual women through pregnancy, labour and birth and the postnatal period) are a component of midwifery education programmes in Australia and the United Kingdom. Current accreditation standards in Australia require midwifery students to have a total of 20 continuity of care experiences with an average of 20 hours per woman over the duration of their course. There has been limited research regarding students' and academics' experiences of follow-through experiences; and there has been debate regarding the appropriate number of follow-through experiences in midwifery curricula. This study aimed to explore the follow-through experience from the perspective of midwifery students and academics in Victoria, Australia. DESIGN: cross-sectional design using a web-based survey. SETTING: Victoria, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Students (n=401) and academics (n=35) from all seven universities in Victoria that offer accredited midwifery programmes including the Bachelor of Midwifery, Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Midwifery double degree, Postgraduate Diploma of Midwifery and Masters of Midwifery (entry to practice). FINDINGS: Students and academics were in agreement that continuity of care is important to women. They considered the follow-through experience to be a unique and valuable learning opportunity and agreed that follow-through experiences should be included in midwifery education programmes. However, students and academics raised major concerns about the impact of follow-through experiences on students' capacity to meet university course requirements (such as missing lectures/tutorials and clinical placements), and spending extensive periods of time on-call both within and outside the university semester. Students and academics also reported concerns about the impact of follow-through experiences on students' personal lives, including paid employment and family responsibilities (such as childcare or caring for family members). KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: In settings where continuity of care options for women are relatively limited, prescriptive requirements regarding the number and hours of follow-through experiences can present significant challenges for midwifery students. Midwifery regulatory bodies should consider these findings when developing or revising standards for midwifery education.

The Virtual Maternity Clinic: a teaching and learning innovation for midwifery education.

BACKGROUND: There are challenges for midwifery students in developing skill and competency due to limited placements in antenatal clinics. The Virtual Maternity Clinic, an online resource, was developed to support student learning in professional midwifery practice. OBJECTIVES: Identifying students' perceptions of the Virtual Maternity Clinic; learning about the impact of the Virtual Maternity Clinic on the students' experience of its use and access; and learning about the level of student satisfaction of the Virtual Maternity Clinic. DESIGN: Two interventions were used including pre and post evaluations of the online learning resource with data obtained from questionnaires using open ended and dichotomous responses and rating scales. The pre-Virtual Maternity Clinic intervention used a qualitative design and the post-Virtual Maternity Clinic intervention applied both qualitative and quantitative approaches. SETTINGS: Three campuses of Deakin University, located in Victoria, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Midwifery students enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Midwifery and Graduate Diploma of Midwifery were recruited across three campuses of Deakin University (n=140). METHODS: Thematic analysis of the pre-Virtual Maternity Clinic intervention (return rate n=119) related to students' expectations of this resource. The data for the post-Virtual Maternity Clinic intervention (return rate n=42) including open-ended responses were thematically analysed; dichotomous data examined in the form of frequencies and percentages of agreement and disagreement; and 5-rating scales were analysed using Pearson's correlations (α=.05, two-tailed). RESULTS: Results showed from the pre-Virtual Maternity Clinic intervention that students previously had placements in antenatal clinics were optimistic about the online learning resource. The post-Virtual Maternity Clinic intervention results indicated that students were satisfied with the Virtual Maternity Clinic as a learning resource despite some technological issues. CONCLUSIONS: The Virtual Maternity Clinic provides benefits for students in repeated observation of the practice of the midwife to support their professional learning and practice development.

Evolving global education standards for nurses and midwives.

More than a a decade ago nurse experts identified information critical for their practice in the 21st century, initiated by the increasing globalization of healthcare and nursing education. Much has happened since then. We know more about the healthcare needs of developing and developed countries, although solutions remain problematic. Although nurses continue to migrate, exaggerating developing country health issues, they are plagued by the variability in how they are educated. For example, some countries prepare nurses in high school, while in other countries nurses are educated in institutions of higher education. Recognizing this variability, nurse leaders have undertaken several efforts to address this variability. The purpose of this article is to highlight several issues associated with global education in general, describe current efforts in nursing and midwifery to strengthen nursing education, and discuss why these efforts are relevant to maternal-child nurses. This information is particularly relevant when one considers the contributions appropriately educated nurses and midwives can make as achieving select United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Evaluation of a traditional birth attendant training programme in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: the 1997 Safe Motherhood Initiative effectively eliminated support for training traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in safe childbirth. Despite this, TBAs are still active in many countries such as Bangladesh, where 88% of deliveries occur at home. Renewed interest in community-based approaches and the urgent need to improve birth care has necessitated a re-examination of how provider training should be conducted and evaluated. OBJECTIVE: to demonstrate how a simple evaluation tool can provide a quantitative measure of knowledge acquisition and intended behaviour following a TBA training program. DESIGN: background data were collected from 45 TBAs attending two separate training sessions conducted by Bangladeshi non-governmental organization (NGO) Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK). A semi-structured survey was conducted before and after each training session to assess the TBAs' knowledge and reported practices related to home-based management of childbirth. SETTING: two training sessions conducted in Vatshala and Sreepur in rural Bangladesh. PARTICIPANTS: 45 active TBAs were recruited for this training evaluation. FINDINGS: there were significant improvements following the training sessions regarding how TBAs reported they would: (a) measure blood loss, (b) handle an apneic newborn, (c) refer women with convulsions and (d) refer women who are bleeding heavily. A greater degree of improvement, and higher scores overall, were observed among TBAs with no prior training and with less birth experience. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE: as the Safe Motherhood community strives to improve safe childbirth care, the quality of care in pregnancy and childbirth for women who rely on less-skilled providers should not be ignored. These communities need assistance from governments and NGOs to help improve the knowledge and skill levels of the providers upon which they depend. Gonoshasthaya Kendra's extensive efforts to train and involve TBAs, with the aim of improving the quality of care provided to Bangladeshi women, is a good example of how to effectively integrate TBAs into safe motherhood efforts in resource-poor settings. The evaluation methodology described in this paper demonstrates how trainees' prior experiences and beliefs may affect knowledge acquisition, and highlights the need for more attention to course content and pedagogic style.

From 'postnatal depression' to 'perinatal anxiety and depression': key points of the National Perinatal Depression Plan for nurses and midwives in Australian primary health care settings.

BACKGROUND: Perinatal anxiety and depression constitute one of the long term major public health issues in Australia and for too long they has been bundled under the over-arching term of 'postnatal depression'. However, the generation, funding, and implementation of the National Perinatal Depression Plan (NPDP) (Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2008), across all Australian States and Territories, are proving to be wide-reaching and influential. Not only does the NDPD move from the umbrella term of 'postnatal depression' to establish the reality of perinatal anxiety and depression which women can experience from conception to the first year of the infant's life but also all States and Territories have made Individual Investment Plans for the implementation of the NPDP. IMPLEMENTATION: In these Investment Plans, each State and Territory will address the following three major goals of the NPDP differently and mainly within a primary health care setting: (1) Psychosocial assessment in addition to screening of women antenatally and postnatally; (2) Education of health professionals about the complexity of perinatal depression and the need for early assessment and intervention; (3) Development of quality pathways of care for follow-up support and care of women who are depressed and who are assessed as being at the risk for depression. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSES AND MIDWIVES: General nurses, maternal child health nurses, midwives, and mental health nurses are spread throughout primary health care settings. Three essential aspects of the NPDP are pertinent to their practice: (1) the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS); the 2008 beyondblue National Action Plan for Perinatal Mental Health (NAP); and the Draft beyondblue Clinical Practice Guidelines for depression and related disorders - anxiety, bipolar disorder, and puerperal psychosis - in the perinatal period (March 2010). The author addresses these three aspects of the NPDP by citing two personal accounts by women who have experienced perinatal anxiety and depression; these accounts are available in the public domain.

Constructing maternal-child learning experiences using clinical simulations.

Clinical simulations are gaining more attention in the field of maternal-child health and allow nursing programs and service organizations to assess competency of students and staff in key patient safety situations. Nursing and midwifery programs, orientations, and yearly reaccreditation modules commonly include simulation on postpartum hemorrhage, placenta abruption, shoulder distocia, and other high-risk, low-incidence emergency events. This article describes the use of simulations by educators and managers as teaching or professional development strategies.

Competencies and skills for remote and rural maternity care: a review of the literature.

AIM: This paper reports a review of the literature on skills, competencies and continuing professional development necessary for sustainable remote and rural maternity care. BACKGROUND: There is a general sense that maternity care providers in rural areas need specific skills and competencies. However, how these differ from generic skills and competencies is often unclear. METHODS: Approaches used to access the research studies included a comprehensive search in relevant electronic databases using relevant keywords (e.g. 'remote', 'midwifery', 'obstetrics', 'nurse-midwives', education', 'hospitals', 'skills', 'competencies', etc.). Experts were approached for (un-)published literature, and books and journals known to the authors were also used. Key journals were hand searched and references were followed up. The original search was conducted in 2004 and updated in 2006. FINDINGS: Little published literature exists on professional education, training or continuous professional development in maternity care in remote and rural settings. Although we found a large literature on competency, little was specific to competencies for rural practice or for maternity care. 'Hands-on' skills courses such as Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics and the Neonatal Resuscitation Programme increase confidence in practice, but no published evidence of effectiveness of such courses exists. CONCLUSION: Educators need to be aware of the barriers facing rural practitioners, and there is potential for increasing distant learning facilitated by videoconferencing or Internet access. They should also consider other assessment methods than portfolios. More research is needed on the levels of skills and competencies required for maternity care professionals practising in remote and rural areas.

A mother's feelings for her infant are strengthened by excellent breastfeeding counseling and continuity of care.

OBJECTIVE: Continuous support during the childbirth process ultimately may strengthen the mother's self-esteem and her capacity to interact with and nurture her infant and also may improve paternal involvement in general. In the present study, we investigated whether mothers, who were attended by midwives and nurses who had had a process-oriented training program in breastfeeding counseling, perceived stronger maternal feelings for their infant than mothers who had received only routine care. METHODS: In a previous study, an intervention that included a process-oriented program on breastfeeding counseling for health professionals and continuity in family classes through childbirth was conducted. The 10 largest municipalities were classified in pairs that were similar in size and had similar figures of breastfeeding duration. The municipalities were randomized pairwise to either an intervention or a control group. The present study is a follow-up study on women's feelings for their infants in relation to the kind of care that they had had and was undertaken between April 2000 and January 2003. The sampling frame was based on women who were cared for at either the intervention clinic or control clinics. The mothers at the control clinics had received standard routine care and had attended family classes through the point of birth. Data collection for control group A started before effects of the intervention could be studied. Data for control group B were collected simultaneously with data collection for the intervention group (n = 540). The mothers responded to 3 questionnaires at 3 days and at 3 and 9 months postpartum. Background data of the mothers were collected. The perception of support that was provided by the health professionals and the perception of mother-infant relationship and feelings for the infant were rated on Likert scales. RESULTS: At 3 days postpartum, both the intervention group and control group B versus the control group A thought that their understanding of the infant was better, they perceived more strongly that the infant as their own, and they enjoyed more breastfeeding and resting with the infant. Although there was no significant difference between the intervention group and control group B at 3 days and 3 months observation, mothers in the intervention group talked more to their infant, perceived their infant to be more beautiful than other infants, and perceived more strongly that the infant was their own than did the mothers in control group B at 9 months observation. In addition, the mothers in the intervention group felt significantly more confident with the infant and felt the infant to be closer than did the mothers in control group B. CONCLUSION: A process-oriented breastfeeding training program for antenatal midwives and postnatal nurses that included an intervention that guaranteed continuity of care strengthened the maternal relationship with the infant and the feelings for the infant.