Analysis of Infant Risk Factors Documented by Public Health Nurses

Abstract

Public health nurses' assessment of infants for established, biologic, and environmental risk was examined in a retrospective analyses of records. Findings indicated that nurses assessed infants for selected risk factors and growth and development, but did not comprehensively assess for environmental risk. This led to recommendations for improved documentation and future continuing education.

What Do Public Health Nurses Really Do During Prenatal Home Appointments?

“…A retrospective analysis of the documentation of infant risk factors showed consistent recording of risk factors, growth and development, and physiological indicators of normalcy. However, the recording of psychosocial interventions (i.e., promotion of parental touching, parent-infant interaction, appropriate infant environment) was found to occur less than one third of the time (von Windegath, Urbaro, Hayes, & Martyn, 1988). Moldanado (1991) reviewed 3 1 high-risk infant charts to determine the effectiveness of flowsheets in increasing compliance with agency documentation standards.…”

Secondary Data on Health‐Related Subjects: Major Sources, Uses, and Limitations

“…Nurse investigators have used clinical records to determine the characteristics and health problems of clients receiving home care services from a large home care agency (Pasquale, 1988); patient records and billing records of local health departments in Virginia to describe nonreimbursed home care delivered to patients (Phillips et al, 1990); records of a public health agency to analyze infant risk factors documented by public health nurses (von Windeguth et al, 1988); agency records to develop a system to classify community health patients on the basis of their requirements for nursing care (Peters, 1988); and data from reports of state and local health departments to determine the relation of public health nurse salaries to nurse, agency, and community characteristics (Nickel et al, 1990).…”