Description of the clinical practice of advanced practice nurses in family-centered early intervention in two rural settings

A Systematic Review of Part C Early Identification Studies

Authors conducted a systematic literature review on early identification steps leading at-risk young children to connect with Part C services. Authors classified data collection settings as primary (settings for general population) or specialized (settings for children at risk of developmental delay) and according to the phases of early identification in the study: (a) original population of children aged 0 to 6 years who had received Part C services, (b) screening and/or referral and/or developmental assessment from 0 through age 2 years, and (c) were deemed eligible and/or received Part C services. Authors identified 43 articles including at least two phases of the early identification process. The literature about connecting children to Part C early intervention (EI) is sparse and fragmented; few studies document the full process from community monitoring to service receipt. Results indicate opportunities for development of systems to better track and improve the identification of young children in need of EI.

Patient problems and advanced practice nurse interventions during transitional care

This study is a secondary analysis of patient records written by advanced practice nurses (APNs) as they provided discharge planning and 4 weeks of home follow-up to elderly patients hospitalized with common medical and surgical conditions. The purposes of this study were to examine the problems experienced by elders who were hospitalized and discharged to home, the interventions used by APNs as they cared for these patients, and the linkages between patient problems and APN interventions. Care logs written by the APNs to document the patient problems and nursing interventions were content analyzed and coded using the Problem Classification Scheme and Intervention Scheme of the Omaha System. The results provided a description of the 10 most frequent problems experienced by the patients linked with the APN's interventions. The study provides a description of the nature and complexity of patient problems as they transition from hospital to home and increases our understanding of the contribution of APNs to the care of elders.

Enhancing the role public health nurses play in serving children with special health needs: an interactive videoconference on Public Law 99-457 Part H

Public Law 99-457 Part H supports the development of systems to identify infants and toddlers with special health needs and provide these children the comprehensive care they need. Although public health nurses traditionally provide many of the mandated services. Part H, with its roots in education, presents new terminology, conceptual models, and challenges to public health nurses. An interactive videoconference entitled "Public Health Nurses and Part H: Putting the Pieces Together" was broadcast to 525 public health nurses in 11 states. The program goals were to increase knowledge of Part H among public health nurses and to enhance their role in its implementation. An evaluation was conducted to assess knowledge change and satisfaction with the program format. Results revealed a high degree of satisfaction with distance learning and no difference across sites in knowledge acquisition or participant satisfaction. A need identified through this project is increased interdisciplinary communication among those who serve infants and toddlers with special needs. In an era when financial resources are dwindling, interactive videoconferencing is an innovative and cost-effective method for decreasing the isolation of many public health nurses by offering opportunities for education and networking from their local communities.