Title: CC3 - “Not the Pregnancy We Planned On”: Developing a Plan of Care When There Are Severe Fetal Anomalies

Disciplines: Newborn Care (N), Childbearing (CB), Advanced Practice (AP)

Learning Objectives:
  1. Identify the unique needs of the family facing a prenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies, and nursing considerations for this population.
  2. Describe fetal anomalies that may be amenable to surgical intervention before or after birth and discuss the roles, function, and importance of a nurse as a member of a mulidisciplinary team.
  3. Identify key components of, and barriers to, a perinatal palliative care plan throughout the pregnancy, delivery and postpartum period.
Submission Description:
Prenatal screening, genetic testing, and improved imaging capabilities have provided families more information earlier in their pregnancy. Parents are often not prepared for a poor prenatal diagnosis and react with fear, grief, and stress. Providing care to the family faced with this news is of concern to all nurses who provide care for the childbearing family. This presentation will discuss the challenges of this multidisciplinary practice and the professional responsibilities of the practitioners involved. Each specific subspecialty has a very important, defined role. Clinicians have an ethical obligation to deliver services to families by educating parents about their options, including fetal-postnatal surgery, and palliative care. Providers have the privilege to help parents during the decision-making process, provide appropriate informed consent, and deliver competent and compassionate care. Nurses can be key planners/coordinators in the multidisciplinary team and have great potential to facilitate a healing environment for families facing the unexpected.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012: 8:15 AM-9:45 AM
Potomac A (Gaylord National Harbor)
Moderator:
Anne Santa-Donato, RNC, MSN
Presenting Authors:
Charlotte Wool, PhD, APRN , Janet A. Tucker, MSN, RNC-OB and Jody A. Farrell, MSN, PNP