At the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), closely monitoring and managing high-risk pregnancies prior to delivery can prove difficult in light of the University’s heavy obstetric traffic, as too often beds are not available for patients without immediate needs.  As such, a team of obstetrical nurses has devised an innovative response to the ongoing needs of rural high-risk patients that need close antepartum supervision.   

The Centralized Antenatal Monitoring Project (CAMP) empowers select, stable antepartum patients with certain high-risk conditions to receive inpatient level care on an outpatient basis.  CAMP is a program that utilizes the expert obstetrical nursing resources at UAMS, without using its facilities.  Participants are housed at a hotel near campus, where ongoing monitoring is provided by high-risk obstetrical nurses. Scheduled twice daily and as needed, obstetrical nurses visit CAMP patients in their hotel rooms, monitoring their conditions and providing clinical support to the capacity needed.  This program enables obstetrical nurses to keep a cost-efficient, close watch of patients who need extra support to ensure their pregnancy is a success.  CAMP participants are special, as they are facing high-risk pregnancies, require close monitoring, and often live in areas without accessibility to the care they need.  CAMP brings these select patients closer to the medical center as they await birth, while not tying up critical bed space for patients in need of immediate care.
Through CAMP, obstetrical nurses are able to offer a number of services, including:      Patient Education: CAMP participants learn how to better manage their condition.      Daily Monitoring: Daily, CAMP participants speak to obstetrical nurses in close watch for condition changes and/or complications.      Around-the-Clock Support: An RN-Staffed Call Center extends obstetrical nurse expertise to CAMP participants 24/7.      Local Provider Communication: CAMP keeps the local provider constantly updated on the status of their patient.      Fiscal Efficiency: CAMP decreases the overall cost of the patient’s stay and thus decreases the financial burden on the healthcare system.      Free Support: CAMP is offered to participants free of charge, a feature that ensures the most financially and physically needy patients receive needed care.

Through the expertise and oversight of obstetrical nurses, 35 women have benefited from CAMP in just one year.  Of these, patients have praised the convenience of the service and enjoyed the aspect that their family can join them during care. Originating from as many as four hours away, CAMP patients are monitored with conditions ranging from insulin-dependent diabetes, placenta previa, premature rupture of membranes, and multiple gestations in preterm labor.  In just one example, a rural patient stayed in CAMP over a month, with nurses carefully managing her pregnancy to prolong delivery.  One night, her condition worsened, and she was promptly transported to the UAMS obstetrical unit only blocks away.  Because CAMP was able to manage her pregnancy, the patient delivered at term and safely, enabling her to take her baby home upon discharge.  Innovative obstetrical nursing support as delivered through CAMP serves as a strategic solution to a busy obstetrical unit serving rural, complicated pregnancies.