Virtual health in perinatal and neonatal care has provided healthcare providers and their patients the opportunity to connect via digital or other telecommunication technologies. It includes telehealth, remote monitoring, and healthcare automation. Virtual health has the ability to increase access to perinatal and neonatal care, improve value and quality of perinatal and neonatal care, and become a competitive edge in the delivery of perinatal and neonatal care.
The continuing education article by Drs Canfield and Canada is a review, using PRISMA guidelines, to synthesize existing research on online interventions to reduce perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in underserved populations. Their final analysis includes 23 articles reporting on 22 interventions. The article, titled "Using Social Media Platforms to Enhance the Delivery of a Childbirth Education Program," reports on a randomized controlled trial using pretest/posttest design with 128 low-risk first-time Jordanian mothers. The goal was to evaluate the effectiveness of a childbirth education program on self-efficacy and state anxiety.
Dr Molly Altman and team conducted a thematic analysis to explore experiences of care during the COVID-19 pandemic for 15 pregnant and birthing people. It is a secondary analysis using data specific to experiences receiving care via telehealth. "Integrating Mobile and Portable Technologies With In-Person and Telehealth Care to Increase Perinatal Health Care Equity for the Unstably Housed" introduces the reader to the Midwifery Integrated Home Visitation Program that was developed to bridge the digital divide by bringing perinatal care services to the unstable housed at their desired location of care. Technology was brought to the pregnant persons, and the article presents case studies that outline how telehealth and portable technology was used.
This coming year 2023 also introduces 2 new column editors. Alexandra Michel, PhD, CNM, FACNM, is the incoming editor for the Perinatal Founders column. Ellise Adams, PhD, CNM, will be the new editor for the Parting Thoughts column.
In this first issue of volume 37, our focus is on virtual health. This topic could not be timelier, as we have experienced rapid growth in how we use technology and virtual care in our perinatal and neonatal nursing practice. We feature articles that address virtual visitation and virtual family-centered care programs in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU). We also share articles that are focused on parent readiness for infant discharge from the NICU and care providers clinical decision-making associated with gastric aspiration in preterm infants. Both of these topics are persistently important to neonatal nursing practice and care of high-risk infants and families.
As always, we are grateful to all of our columnists, especially Carole Kenner, our Neonatal Expert columnist. In her column this issue, she focuses on using technology to support babies and their families. We also thank our colleague Terese Verklan for her parting thoughts on "The Good Nurse." We are always looking for new colleagues to join our JPNN community-please reach out to us if you would like to be a reviewer, editorial board member, or submit a manuscript. Thank you!
-Lynette Hamlin, PhD, RN, CNM, FACNM, FAAN
Perinatal Editor
-Katherine Gregory, PhD, RN, FAAN
Neonatal Editor