| dc.description.abstract | Infant morbidity and mortality are important indicators of the overall health of a nation. The United States ranks 26th among 29 developed countries, with an infant mortality rate of 6.1 per 1,000 live births (MacDorman, Mathews, Mohangoo, & Zeitlin, 2014). One explanation for such high rates is due to the fact that healthcare providers have failed to intervene before pregnancy to assess and modify maternal behaviors that contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes (Atrash, Johnson, Adams, Cordero, & Howse, 2006). A proposed solution to decreasing infant mortality in the U.S. is to improve the health of women prior to pregnancy through the use of preconception care. Preconception care is defined as a set of interventions that seek to identify and modify risk factors to a woman's health that have the potential to affect pregnancy outcomes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006). A continuing education module aimed at increasing healthcare provider awareness and understanding of preconception care was developed in collaboration with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners Continuing Education Center. The overall objectives of the module were to heighten provider awareness about the importance of preconception care, increase provider understanding about the components of preconception care, enhance provider confidence in providing preconception care, and promote provider intent to incorporate preconception care into routine practice. The module includes information related to preconception care benefits, reproductive planning, maternal assessment, and counseling. The module was evaluated through a series of pretest, posttest, and evaluation questions and had a total of 176 participants. After completing the module, over 80% (n=147) of respondents reported they were likely to incorporate preconception care into every encounter they have with women of reproductive age and over half (57.6%; n=102) stated they would modify their practice, representing an increase in provider confidence and intent to incorporate preconception care into routine practice. A comparison of pretest and posttest answers reveals a rise in the percentage of correct answers, providing evidence of an increase in awareness and knowledge as a result of the learning intervention. | en_US |
