This issue of The Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing focuses on innovation and collaboration. To meet the ever-changing healthcare reform needs, the 2010 Institute of Medicine report1 recommends the identification of novel solutions to improve perinatal and neonatal outcomes and to implement such changes with an interprofessional team. This issue contains a variety of articles showcasing both innovations and collaboration successes.
The CE article, "Maintaining A Culture of Safety in a Labor and Delivery Setting", focuses on protocol compliance and practice patterns developed to improve collaboration and outcomes. The new protocols and guidelines of care are part of a shared collaborative model focusing on shoulder dystocia, obstetric hemorrhage, fetal monitoring, and operative vaginal delivery. Results of this program improved multidisciplinary collaboration, communication, and teamwork.
The implementation of a unique statewide initiative on electronic fetal monitoring is presented, "A Collaborative Interdisciplinary Approach to Electronic Fetal Monitoring: Report of a Statewide Initiative." Resulting from the collaborative efforts of government and professional organizations, the program spanned 2 years and included standardization of interpretation and management using a multidisciplinary team approach.
The authors of "The Collaborative Approaches to Prenatal Care: Strategies of Successful Adolescent Programs" focuses on meeting the Healthy People 2020 targeted goal of a 10% reduction in adolescence pregnancies by partnering with healthcare providers. The article highlights 3 successful prenatal programs that use an interprofessional collaborative approach in caring for pregnant adolescents.
"Innovative Application of Bar Coding Technology to Breast Milk Administration" describes an innovative way to use medication administration technology to safely administer expressed breast milk. Advantages as well as barriers to implementation of the bar coding systems are discussed along with the successes of this innovative approach.
One such innovative article is "Sleep Quality Among Mothers of Hospitalized Preterm Infants: Possible Effects of Relaxation Guided Imagery and Maternal Distress." The study describes maternal and infant factors that influence sleep quality and examines the association between sleep quality and maternal mental distress utilizing relaxation-guided imagery as an intervention.
The neonatal section of this volume on Innovation and Collaboration includes articles on both themes. As usual, clinical and research articles are included to disseminate information and evidence in support of practicing neonatal nurses to improve care and infant outcomes. In addition, columnists Drs Susan Blackburn and Jacqueline McGrath offer their regular columns with relevant and useful information, analysis, and opinion.
The CE article is by Terry Griffin. It focuses on collaboration, specifically on welcoming parents' presence in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) through family-centered "visitation" policy development. Although not a new topic, the issue of open policies for parents' presence in the NICU remains very relevant. The "family-centered care" movement has led to greater collaboration and partnership between parents and NICU staff, and policy development can support these efforts.
The Gingell Epstein et al article is on measuring parent's perceptions of continuity of care in the NICU and also relates to collaboration. Nurse-parent relationships are key to collaboration and family-centered care; continuity of care is a tenet of quality in the NICU and important to parents, particularly as it relates to the number of nurses caring for an infant over time and the consistency of information and interactions. This pilot study suggests that the number of nurses caring for an infant over time relates to parents' perceptions of overall continuity.
Joan Walsh and Lori Goser describe an innovative teen parenting support program. The program is collaborative and uses an interdisciplinary team approach. Increased parent engagement and confidence are 2 of the outcomes described as a result of this program.
Gravem et al present their beginning research on an innovative idea for preterm infant exercise through a program implemented by caregivers taught to perform the activities. The rationale behind such a program rests on the potential benefits of increasing physical activity in preterm infants, including muscle mass and fat mass. Caregivers, mostly mothers, were willing and generally able to perform the exercises.
-Lisa A. Miller, CNM, JD
Perinatal Guest Editor
Perinatal Risk Management and Education Services
Portland, Oregon
-Ana-Maria Gallo, PhD, CNS, RNC-OB
Perinatal Guest Editor
Director of Nursing Education, Research & Professional Development
Sharp Grossmont Hospital
La Mesa, California
-Susan Bakewell-Sachs, PhD, RN, PNP-BC
Neonatal Editor
Reference