Community Health Nursing Visits for At-Risk Women and Infants

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to utilize the Barnard Model of parent-infant interaction and instruments from the Barnard Newborn Nursing Models study to assess 30 pregnancy clients and to help determine appropriate interventions. Upon consent, the 30 study participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: primiparous, unmarried, or otherwise socially at-risk. Thirty-three percent of the participants were under 19 years of age. A doctorally prepared community health nurse (CHN) completed all interventions, including a comprehensive assessment. Over 20% of participants admitted mild to moderate abuse of alcohol, cigarettes, and/or street drugs during early pregnancy. Counseling/supportive interventions established rapport and encouraged women to develop and maintain healthy life-styles. The control group of 10 were evaluated when their infant reached 6 months. A second group was followed during pregnancy, then evaluated at 6 months. A third group of 10 women were followed through pregnancy and the first 6 months of their babies' lives. Results indicated that substance abuse stopped or substantially decreased during intervention. Mothers in the intervention groups had fewer perinatal complications and better parent-infant interaction scores than the controls. This research supports previous reports that home visitor programs foster more healthy pregnancies and improve child developmental outcomes.