A Practice-Based Research Database to Study Perinatal Nurse Home Visiting to Pregnant Women With Diabetes.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Accumulation of real-world evidence from practice-based perinatal nurse home visits to pregnant women with diabetes prompted this translational perinatal health disparities research. Given the global diabetes epidemic, this academic-community partnered research team is studying the utilization, processes, and outcomes of this understudied model of perinatal nurse home visiting that provide home-based enhanced diabetes care to pregnant women. Because the nursing records provide the rich source of data for the study, our aim is to provide an in-depth description of the Philadelphia Pregnancy and Diabetes Home Visiting (PPD-HV) research database developed from data in the longitudinal nursing records. METHODS: This descriptive study uses retrospective data abstracted from paper-based perinatal nurse home visiting clinical records to create the PPD-HV, a HIPAA compliant, secure REDCap electronic research database. The sample includes 248 urban, pregnant women with diabetes who received a total of 1,644 home visits during the year 2012. The setting was Philadelphia, a large metropolitan city in the northeastern part of the United States. The PPD-HV database followed the information fields of the paper-based clinical nursing forms, which were originally designed by following the Omaha System to guide documenting the nursing process used in caring for patients in their homes. RESULTS: Using REDCap, the PPD-HV research database is robust with 239 variables and captures longitudinal clinical nursing data. Among the pregnant women with diabetes receiving nurse home visits, the mean age was 30.7 years, most were single, and had given birth to other children. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Real-world clinical nursing practice data provide a rich source of research data to advance understandings about this model of enhanced diabetes care and the pregnant women with diabetes receiving the care. Considering the global epidemic of diabetes, this is a perinatal nurse home visiting model to replicate and evaluate.

Perinatal Nurse Home Visiting Referral Patterns Among Women With Diabetes and Hypertension in Philadelphia.

OBJECTIVE: To examine access to perinatal nurse home visiting services for high-risk pregnant women who have diabetes or hypertension. DESIGN: Secondary data analysis. SETTING: Philadelphia, PA. PARTICIPANTS: Pregnant women who had a live birth during 2012 and those referred to a community-based agency for perinatal nurse home visiting because of their diagnosis of diabetes or hypertension. METHODS: Access to services was measured by examining referral information (dosage, diagnosis, gestational age at time of referral, and insurance type) retrieved from administrative logs of the community-based organization that provides perinatal home visiting to high-risk pregnant women. The population-based prevalence rates of hypertension and diabetes were calculated from birth record data provided by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. RESULTS: During 2012, 595 pregnant women were referred for perinatal nurse home visiting services. The mean gestational age when referred for services was 24.9 weeks (standard deviation = 8.5) with a mean number of 8.8 authorized visits (standard deviation = 8). Associated with more authorized visits was having Medicaid as the insurance type and medical diagnoses that included hypertension (p < .01). Philadelphia prevalence rates for diabetes and hypertension varied by race and ethnicity (p < .001); Asian mothers had the greatest rates for diabetes and Black mothers the greatest rates for hypertension. CONCLUSION: Various models of home visiting programs exist to improve maternal and child health outcomes. Because maternal morbidity and mortality rates are rising in the United States, further research about perinatal nurse home visiting programs for pregnant women with diabetes and hypertension is warranted.

Human papillomavirus vaccination uptake and completion as a preventive health measure among female adolescents.

BACKGROUND: National coverage for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine falls short of the targeted goals for Healthy People 2020 with disparities in completion rates noted in minority adolescent female populations. The purpose of this study was to provide a review of the literature on HPV vaccination uptake and completion rates among female minority adolescents as well as a discussion of the financial and policy dimensions of HPV vaccination with implications that impact uptake and completion rates. METHODS: By reviewing the literature, the authors show that the two human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, have presented unprecedented opportunities to prevent morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer. CONCLUSION: The authors recommend that nurses and advanced practice nurses take an active role at the point of care to educate families about HPV vaccination. Nursing interventions for practice changes are provided to improve vaccination initiation and completion rates in disadvantaged populations.

Cervical cancer screening in adolescents: an evidence-based internet education program for practice improvement among advanced practice nurses.

BACKGROUND: The literature reports great variation in the knowledge levels and application of the recent changes of cervical cancer screening guidelines into clinical practice. Evidence-based screening guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer offers healthcare providers the opportunity to improve practice patterns among female adolescents by decreasing psychological distress as well as reducing healthcare costs and morbidities associated with over-screening. PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot intervention study was to determine the effects of a Web-based continuing education unit (CEU) program on advanced practice nurses' (APNs) knowledge of current cervical cancer screening evidence-based recommendations and their application in practice. This paper presents a process improvement project as an example of a way to disseminate updated evidence-based practice guidelines among busy healthcare providers. METHODS: This Web-based CEU program was developed, piloted, and evaluated specifically for APNs. The program addressed their knowledge level of cervical cancer and its relationship with high-risk human papillomavirus. It also addressed the new cervical cancer screening guidelines and the application of those guidelines into clinical practice. FINDINGS: Results of the study indicated that knowledge gaps exist among APNs about cervical cancer screening in adolescents. However, when provided with a CEU educational intervention, APNs' knowledge levels increased and their self-reported clinical practice behaviors changed in accordance with the new cervical cancer screening guidelines. LINKING EVIDENCE TO PRACTICE: Providing convenient and readily accessible up-to-date electronic content that provides CEU enhances the adoption of clinical practice guidelines, thereby decreasing the potential of the morbidities associated with over-screening for cervical cancer in adolescents and young women.

The role of nurses in comprehensive care management of pregnant women with drug addiction.

Drug addiction during pregnancy is a complex health and social issue that requires an interdisciplinary health care team providing nonjudgmental, comprehensive care. Critical challenges include onset of and attendance at prenatal care, potential obstetric complications, transition to extrauterine life and potential neonatal abstinence syndrome for the neonate, newborn feeding issues, postpartum depression and risk of relapse for women.

Drug shortages and the burden of access to care: a critical issue affecting patients with cancer.

Pharmaceutical drug shortages are multifaceted and complex problems that affect all aspects of health care, including patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, third-party payers, the pharmaceutical industry, and regulators. Drug shortages have increased significantly since 2000, which cause increases in healthcare costs and compromised patient care. New government regulations have led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to focus efforts on updating policies and improving regulation of the pharmaceutical industry to limit and avoid drug shortages. This article discusses the current issues surrounding the pharmaceutical drug shortage and the implications for patients and healthcare providers. A review of the literature presents the multidimensional impact of the pharmaceutical drug shortage, and the analysis shows patients who are most burdened by drug shortages and have experienced substandard care, increased cost of care, and compromised quality of health care.