Monday, June 29, 2009 - 1:30 PM
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Why Be Many When You Can Be ONE? How Team-Based Collaboration Narrows the Divide Between Rural and Urban Obstetrical and Neonatal Nurses

Barbara Smith, BSN1, Tesa Ivey, MSN2, Sarah Rhoads, DNP, APN3, Julie Hall-Barrow, EdD3, and Rachel Ott, BA4. (1) ANGELS Program, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W, Markham St., #518, Little Rock, AR 72205, (2) Maternal/Infant Division, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham St., #526 5E, Little Rock, AR 72205, (3) ANGELS Program and the College of Nursing, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham St., #529, Little Rock, AR 72205, (4) College of Medicine, ANGELS Program, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham St., #518, Little Rock, AR 72120

In Arkansas, high-risk obstetrical and neonatal patients are often transferred from rural hospitals to the state’s only academic medical center, where specialists can better manage these complex patients.  In an effort to equalize care throughout Arkansas, one program has sought to improve communication among obstetric and neonatal nurses to ensure the best continuity of care for these patients. ANGELS (Antenatal & Neonatal Guidelines, Education and Learning System), the Department of Nursing, and the College of Nursing at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences sponsor the Obstetrical Neonatal Exchange (ONE) Team, a monthly telemedicine continuing education program invited nurses from across the state. ONE Team aims at supporting neonatal, nursery, and obstetrical nurses practicing in rural and urban Arkansas.  This team connects through real-time, interactive telehealth video to foster relationships between outlying practitioners and specialists at UAMS through discussion of cases and events that relate to the everyday practice of obstetrical and newborn nursing, evidence-based practices, and current standards for patient care.  Participating nurses translate current research findings into useful advice and community health improvement for the benefit of all obstetrical and neonatal nurses.  Since October 2007, over 300 nurses have attended the ONE Team teleconferences with an overall satisfaction rating well above 4.0 on a 1 to 5 Likert Scale, with 1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree. ONE Team has changed to meet the needs of its audience due to evaluation feedback, modifying meeting times to better accommodate attendee schedules, adding a neonatal-focused component, and selecting topics based upon participant suggestions. As a result of the enhanced communication through ONE Team, maternal and neonatal transport issues have improved, collaborative educational opportunities for obstetrical and neonatal nurses have enhanced, comprehension of obstetrical and neonatal nursing issues has expanded, and the care of all mothers and neonates has improved regardless of their locations in Arkansas.