The Great Expectations prenatal visit strives to increase patient awareness and knowledge of the labor process and thereby decrease a patient’s anxiety level about the birthing process and postpartum period. 

Proposed change:

The goal of the program is to create a positive birthing experience for families through education regarding topics such as: pain management, breastfeeding, skin-to-skin time, family bonding, family-centered services, environmental awareness, and support staff.  The goal of the prenatal visit is to increase the number of patients receiving prenatal information through an innovative and alternative method that individually addresses different adult learning needs. 

Implementation, outcomes and evaluation:

In order to execute the goal, prenatal patients greater than 32 weeks gestation were scheduled for a one-hour visit with a perinatal nurse.  In addition to the visit being an extraordinary platform for education, patients are also given a personalized tour of the facility and given an opportunity to address their questions and concerns.  The visit, which is scheduled through the obstetrical clinic, becomes an integral part of prenatal care and the input and support from providers is vital to the success of the program. Continuous evaluation of the program has illustrated that overall patient satisfaction has increased.  Evaluation methods include the following: patient feedback during management rounds, patient survey scores (HCAHPS), results from exclusive breastfeeding audits, discharge phone calls, pain management scores, and a patient’s ability to verbalize that they feel more knowledgeable and confident as a result of the education they received. 

Implications for nursing practice:

Utilizing nurses to perform one-to-one education with patients, advances nursing practice by expanding the nursing role to the full extent of its practice. The nurses are able to use their unique skills to implement an individualized and psycho-social assessment, as well as recognize key education and knowledge gaps that may exist in patients.  Additionally, by working together with providers, nurses become a key contributor to the multidisciplinary approach to care.

Keywords:

Prenatal, Nurse Visit, Patient Satisfaction, Great Expectations, Birthing Experience