AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses Objective: To implement and evaluate training session related to smoking during pregnancy for baccalaureate nursing students in rural Southern Appalachia. Design: Nursing students attended training on dangers and intervention techniques related to smoking during pregnancy. Sample: Third year students beginning clinical rotations in obstetrics. Methods: One and one half hour training including pre‐ and post tests. Implementation Strategies: Four months later, a follow‐up survey assessed gains in knowledge, skill, comfort, and willingness to address smoking during pregnancy. Results: During seven semesters, 659 nursing students were trained. Substantial gains in knowledge of issues related to smoking during pregnancy were seen from pre‐ to post testing, and knowledge was retained at 4‐month follow‐up. The percentage of students who felt they lacked skills to intervene with pregnant smokers dropped from 39% at pretest to 6% at same day post test. In addition, the percentage who reported they would be uncomfortable talking with pregnant women about smoking dropped from 10% to 1%; the percentage who indicated they would always make time to address smoking with pregnant women increased from 54% to 87%. While most students did address smoking with multiple pregnant patients during clinicals, and more than half felt the patients benefited from their actions, only 58% were confident in their intervention skills at 4‐month follow‐up. Finally, 83% felt the training had been beneficial, and more than 90% committed to addressing smoking with pregnant patients once they graduated. Conclusion/Implications for Nursing Practice: Rates of smoking during pregnancy in the rural South are twice as great as national averages and contribute to poor birth and long‐term outcomes for affected women and children. Efforts to intervene during prenatal care with pregnant women have been hampered by lack of knowledge, skill, comfort, and commitment from prenatal providers and their nursing staff. Regional community providers and staff have been reluctant to participate in available trainings, and even those who do seldom exhibit attitude and practice change long term. Therefore, efforts to educate healthcare professionals on the dangers of smoking during pregnancy and to provide necessary skills for intervention efforts may need to occur before students enter practice, and ongoing education may be needed to promote skills and confidence long term. In the rural South, where smoking rates are high and provider efforts to address pregnancy smoking are inconsistent, educating future nurses could have substantial impact on rates of smoking during pregnancy and birth outcomes into the future.

AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses Objective: To implement and evaluate training session related to smoking during pregnancy for baccalaureate nursing students in rural Southern Appalachia. Design: Nursing students attended training on dangers and intervention techniques related to smoking during pregnancy. Sample: Third year students beginning clinical rotations in obstetrics. Methods: One and one half hour training including pre‐ and post tests. Implementation Strategies: Four months later, a follow‐up survey assessed gains in knowledge, skill, comfort, and willingness to address smoking during pregnancy. Results: During seven semesters, 659 nursing students were trained. Substantial gains in knowledge of issues related to smoking during pregnancy were seen from pre‐ to post testing, and knowledge was retained at 4‐month follow‐up. The percentage of students who felt they lacked skills to intervene with pregnant smokers dropped from 39% at pretest to 6% at same day post test. In addition, the percentage who reported they would be uncomfortable talking with pregnant women about smoking dropped from 10% to 1%; the percentage who indicated they would always make time to address smoking with pregnant women increased from 54% to 87%. While most students did address smoking with multiple pregnant patients during clinicals, and more than half felt the patients benefited from their actions, only 58% were confident in their intervention skills at 4‐month follow‐up. Finally, 83% felt the training had been beneficial, and more than 90% committed to addressing smoking with pregnant patients once they graduated. Conclusion/Implications for Nursing Practice: Rates of smoking during pregnancy in the rural South are twice as great as national averages and contribute to poor birth and long‐term outcomes for affected women and children. Efforts to intervene during prenatal care with pregnant women have been hampered by lack of knowledge, skill, comfort, and commitment from prenatal providers and their nursing staff. Regional community providers and staff have been reluctant to participate in available trainings, and even those who do seldom exhibit attitude and practice change long term. Therefore, efforts to educate healthcare professionals on the dangers of smoking during pregnancy and to provide necessary skills for intervention efforts may need to occur before students enter practice, and ongoing education may be needed to promote skills and confidence long term. In the rural South, where smoking rates are high and provider efforts to address pregnancy smoking are inconsistent, educating future nurses could have substantial impact on rates of smoking during pregnancy and birth outcomes into the future.

Objective: Rates of pregnancy smoking in the rural South are twice national averages and contribute to poor birth and long term outcomes for affected women and children. Efforts to intervene during prenatal care with pregnant women have been hampered by lack of knowledge, skill, comfort, and commitment from prenatal providers and their nursing staff. Regional community providers and staff have been reluctant to participate in available trainings, and even those who do seldom exhibit attitude and practice change long term. Therefore, efforts to educate health care professionals on the dangers of pregnancy smoking, and to provide necessary skills for intervention efforts, may need to occur before they ever enter practice. Thus, the goal of the current project was to implement and evaluate a pregnancy smoking-related training session for baccalaureate nursing students in rural Southern Appalachia. Design: Nursing students attended training on pregnancy smoking dangers/intervention techniques. Sample: Third year students beginning clinical rotations in obstetrics. Methods: 1.5-hour training including pre- and post-tests. Implementation Strategies: Four months later, follow-up survey assessed gains in knowledge, skill, comfort, and willingness to address smoking. Results: Over seven semesters, 659 nursing students were trained. Substantial gains in knowledge of pregnancy smoking issues were seen from pre- to post-testing, with knowledge retained at four- month follow-up. The percentage of students who felt they lacked skills to intervene with pregnant smokers dropped from 39% at pre-test to 6% at same day post-test. In addition, the percentage who reported they would be uncomfortable talking with pregnant women about smoking dropped from 10% to 1%, while the percentage who indicated they would always make time to address smoking with pregnant women increased from 54% to 87%. While most students did address smoking with multiple pregnant patients encountered during clinicals, and over half felt the patients benefited from their actions, only 58% were confident in their intervention skills at four month follow-up. Finally, 83% felt the training had been beneficial, and over 90% committed to addressing smoking with pregnant patients once they graduated. Conclusion/Implications for nursing practice: Training can increase nursing student knowledge, skill, comfort, and willingness to address smoking with pregnant women. However, it appears ongoing education may be needed to promote skills and confidence long term. In the rural South, where smoking rates are high and provider efforts to address pregnancy smoking are inconsistent, educating future nurses could have substantial impact on pregnancy smoking rates and birth outcomes into the future.

Thesis (MMed (Obstetrics and Gynaecology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Study objective: To investigate whether an educational intervention in the Gynaecology Department of Tygerberg Hospital (TBH) was effective in improving the accuracy of the diagnosis and appropriateness of treatment options offered to women with suspected Ectopic Pregnancy (EP). Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional before-and-after study was performed, including 335 consecutive patients with suspected EP before (1/3 - 30/6/2008) and after (1/9 - 31/12/2008) “the intervention”. From the gynaecological admissions register all pregnant patients with symptoms potentially compatible with EP were selected and these were cross referenced with beta-hCG requests, entries in the theatre register for surgery for possible EP and methotrexate prescriptions for EP in these time periods. “The intervention” consisted of a formal lecture presented to the registrars and consultants regarding the latest evidence-based guidelines concerning the diagnosis and management of EP. An algorithm based on this information was introduced in the emergency unit and ultrasound unit together with a prescribed ultrasound reporting form containing all the pertinent information required to follow the algorithm. Clinical decisions were left to the registrar and consultant on duty. Primary outcomes: Time from presentation to treatment, number and appropriateness of special investigations, surgical procedures or medical management. Secondary outcomes: Number of in-patient days and visits, adherence to the algorithm. Results: There was a non-significant trend towards improved reporting of the uterine content and significantly less reports of definite signs of an intrauterine pregnancy (IUP) (p<0.001, RR 0.46, 95% CI 0.31-0.70) due to stricter ultrasound criteria being followed. There was a significant change in the spectrum of uterine findings (p=0.001), the spectrum of adnexal findings (p=0.006) and the spectrum of free fluid noted (p=0.05). There was a reduction in the total number of beta-hCG levels requested at presentation (patients with no beta-hCG: 24 vs 34, p=0.05, RR 1.60, 95% CI 0.99-2.59) with a significant reduction in the number of inappropriate beta-hCG requests (77 vs 40, p<0.001, RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.43-0.81). There was a significant difference in the spread of the number of beta-hCG tests per patient with less repeat tests in the study group (p=0.021). Significantly less manual vacuum aspirations (MVAs) were performed (47 vs 21, p=0.003, RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.32-0.81) but there was no change in the other treatment modalities offered nor in the time from presentation to treatment, number of visits or in-patient days. Adherence to the algorithm was poor (59 %). Conclusions: Except for a significant decrease in the MVAs performed, with possibly less interrupted early intrauterine pregnancies, the improvement in the use of special investigations after “the intervention” did not translate into fewer inappropriate diagnoses and management. This could be due to frequent non-adherence to the algorithm, and widespread implementation of the algorithm as well as continuous audits would be necessary before a future study could be attempted to assess the efficacy of the algorithm. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Studiedoelwit: Die hoofdoel van hierdie studie is om te ondersoek of „n opvoedkundige intervensie in die Ginekologiese afdeling van Tygerberg Hospitaal (TBH) doeltreffend sou wees in die verbetering van die akkuraatheid van diagnose en die gepastheid van behandelingsopsies wat aan vroue gebied word met „n vermoedelike ektopiese swangerskap (ES). Metodes: „n Retrospektiewe, kruisdeursnee voor-en-na studie rakende 335 opeenvolgende pasiënte wat ‟n vermoedelike ES het voor (1/3/2008 – 30/6/2008) en na (1/9/2008 – 31/12/2008) “die intervensie”. Swanger pasiënte is uit die ginekologiese toelatingsregister geselekteer indien hulle simptome gehad het wat moontlik verbind kon word met ES. Hulle is kruisverwys met die beta-hCG‟s aangevra, inskrywings in die teaterregister vir chirurgie vir moontlike ES en ginekologie-pasiënte wat metotrexate vir ES binne hierdie tydperke ontvang het. “Die intervensie” het bestaan uit „n formele lesing aan die kliniese assistente en konsultante ten opsigte van die jongste bewysgebaseerde riglyne rakende die diagnose en hantering van ES. „n Algoritme gegrond op hierdie inligting is in die noodeenheid en ultraklank-afdeling ten toon gestel asook „n voorgeskrewe ultraklank rapporteringsvorm met al die toepaslike inligting wat vereis word om die algoritme te volg. Kliniese besluite is aan die kliniese assistent en konsultant aan diens oorgelaat. Primêre uitkomste: Tydsduur vanaf aanmelding tot behandeling, aantal en gepastheid van spesiale ondersoeke, chirurgiese prosedures en mediese hantering. Sekondêre uitkomste: Die aantal binnepasiëntdae en besoeke, nakoming van die algoritme. Resultate: Daar was „n nie-betekenisvolle neiging tot beter rapportering van die uteriene-inhoud en betekenisvol minder rapportering van definitiewe tekens van „n intra-uteriene swangerskap (IUS) (p<0.001, RR 0.46, 95% CI 0.31-0.70) as gevolg van strenger ultraklankstandaarde gevolg. Daar was „n betekenisvolle verandering in die spektrum van uteriene bevindinge (p=0.001), die spektrum van die adneksale bevindinge (p=0.006) en die spektrum van die vrye vog aangeteken (p=0.05). Daar was „n vermindering in die totale aantal beta-hCG-vlakke aangevra met aanmelding (pasiënte met geen hCG: 24 vs 34, p=0.05, RR 1.60, 95% CI 0.99-2.59) met „n betekenisvolle vermindering in die aantal onvanpaste beta-hCGs aangevra (77 vs 40, p<0.001, RR0.60, 95% CI 0.43-0.81). Daar was „n betekenisvolle verskil in die verspreiding van die aantal beta-hCG-toetse per pasiënt, met minder herhalende toetse in die studiegroep (p=0.021). Betekenisvol minder manuele vakuum aspirasies (MVAs) is uitgevoer (47 vs 21, p=0.003, RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.32-0.81), maar geen verskil in ander behandelingsmodaliteite is aangebied nie, asook geen verskil in die tydsduur vanaf aanmelding, die aantal besoeke of die aantal binnepatiëntdae nie. Nakoming van die algoritme was swak (59%). Gevolgtrekkings: Behalwe vir „n betekenisvolle afname in die MVAs uitgevoer, met moontlik minder onderbroke vroeë IUS, het die verbetering in die gebruik van spesiale ondersoeke ná “die intervensie” nie minder onvanpaste diagnoses en hantering tot gevolg gehad nie. Dit kan die gevolg wees van gereelde nie-nakoming van die algoritme, en uitgebreide implementering van die algoritme asook voortdurende oudits sal nodig wees voor „n verdere studie aangepak kan word om die doeltreffendheid van die algoritme te bepaal.