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Open AccessArticle
Implementation of Virtual Antenatal and Postnatal Urgent Midwifery Visits: Evaluation of a Quality Improvement Initiative
by
Nora Drummond
Nora Drummond
Nora Drummond is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Biological [...]
Nora Drummond is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Biological Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. She received her BSN from the University of Pennsylvania in 2012 and her FNP, CNM, and DNP from the University of Michigan in 2019. Dr. Drummond utilizes her unique expertise as an FNP and CNM to investigate the intersection of chronic disease and reproductive health. Her focus is on disease processes that may appear for the first time in pregnancy including hypertension, diabetes, and cardiac disease. Of particular interest is the influence of social media on health education around these conditions.
1,*,
Joanne Bailey
Joanne Bailey 2,
Christina Majszak
Christina Majszak 2 and
Ruth Zielinski
Ruth Zielinski 1
1
School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
2
University of Michigan Health—Midwifery Service, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(7), 903; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21070903 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 31 May 2024
/
Revised: 28 June 2024
/
Accepted: 5 July 2024
/
Published: 10 July 2024
Abstract
Women seeking care during the perinatal period often face delays or long waits at healthcare facilities due to lack of providers and/or resources, leading to sub-optimal outcomes. We implemented a program whereby patients with concerns could receive same-day care virtually from a midwife rather than presenting to the clinic or hospital for care. Implementation strategies included virtual training, a staged increase in patient volume, and frequent communication between the midwives via text, email, and monthly meetings. Virtual visits included a variety of complaints, the five most common being to establish care, first-trimester bleeding, nausea and vomiting, mental health concerns, and postnatal breast problems. There was a threefold increase in virtual visits during the first 6 months with 92% of patients not requiring urgent face-to-face follow-up. Midwives were able to provide high-quality telehealth care that met the patients’ needs and decreased the demand on hospital-based services. With the growing ubiquity of mobile phones and internet access, this strategy may be effective in providing quality care while decreasing demands on physical infrastructure. More research is needed to assess acceptability in other contexts. Reproducibility in low-resource settings may be limited if women lack access to video conferencing on phones or laptops.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Drummond, N.; Bailey, J.; Majszak, C.; Zielinski, R.
Implementation of Virtual Antenatal and Postnatal Urgent Midwifery Visits: Evaluation of a Quality Improvement Initiative. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21, 903.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21070903
AMA Style
Drummond N, Bailey J, Majszak C, Zielinski R.
Implementation of Virtual Antenatal and Postnatal Urgent Midwifery Visits: Evaluation of a Quality Improvement Initiative. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2024; 21(7):903.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21070903
Chicago/Turabian Style
Drummond, Nora, Joanne Bailey, Christina Majszak, and Ruth Zielinski.
2024. "Implementation of Virtual Antenatal and Postnatal Urgent Midwifery Visits: Evaluation of a Quality Improvement Initiative" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 21, no. 7: 903.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21070903
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