The Childbearing Experience: A Prototype for the Study of Continuity of Care

Abstract

The focus of this article is the development of a family adaptation tool to be utilized by nurses in a two-stage referral mechanism. This tool can assist in the development of the clinical practice of maternal-child and community health nurses to further facilitate a positive childbearing experience.

Baccalaureate nursing students were utilized as data collectors in an effort to involve them in nursing research as well as exposing them to a distributive approach to health care. This allowed development of nursing interventions at two levels, the hospital and the home, and identified the referral mechanism as a liaison between the two environments. The tool is particularly helpful in assessing the areas of maternal adaptation and the impact of the environment.