Prenatal Education System Standardization Transformation (PESST)
- Identify two unique attributes of adult learners and their improtance to a standard curriculum
- State three benefits of standardization of Prenatal Education Classes to the nursing educators and the community
- Discuss strategies necessary to implement a standardized curriculum
Proposed change: Remove inconsistencies in Prenatal Education Materials, Lecture and visuals
Implementation, outcomes and evaluation:
Implementation: Distribution of materials to seven regional hospitals in two years,
Outomes- proficiency in standardization of prenatal education by staff at each facility,
Evaluation: thorugh proctor, written evaluation forms and prenatal education committee to discuss self evaluation.
Implications for nursing practice: integrating the prenatal education into clinical practice, facilitating comfort strategies and hands on comfort skills to the laboring patients.
Keywords: Prenatal Education, Childbirth Class Standardization, comfort strategies
A multi-hospital system in Northeast Tennessee identified the need to standardize prenatal education throughout the seven perinatal services in their health care system because there was no uniform class content or instructor credentialing system wide. The benefits of standardization were two fold; the first identified benefit was to the nursing staff who teach classes who now have a standard curriculum. The second benefit is to the community served because the same evidence based curriculum assures continuity in content.
To begin the transformation to standardization, a position was created for a system-wide ‘Prenatal Education Coordinator”. Requirements for this position included being a registered nurse with labor and delivery experience and having national certification in childbirth education.
Implementation was over a period of two years. The transformation began by evaluating the current state of prenatal education including a list of facilities, managers, classes offered, and by meeting with current instructors to identify current teaching curriculum and strategies.
The next step encompassed the creation of a standard teaching outline utilizing an evidence based childbirth education curriculum. A teaching outline was developed, presented to each of the facility instructor who reviewed it and identified any issues or conflicts with the content prior to implementing.
The prenatal education coordinator taught the curriculum for one course at each facility to allow the current instructors to gain an understanding of how the curriculum worked.
Adult learning principles were incorporated into the training of prenatal educators, yielding additional benefits. Nurses who learn about the needs of adult learners communicate more effectively, integrate the education curriculum into their clinical practice and become an integral part of their facility’s health care team. Nurse who teach breathing, relaxation and comfort strategies add high-touch comfort skills to the high tech aspects of caring for their laboring patients.
Standardization of prenatal education classes is a winning combination for the community and for the nurses who teach the classes. PESST – it’s a good thing!
