Benchmark attainment by maternal and child health clients across public health nursing agencies.

OBJECTIVES: Benchmark client outcomes across public health nursing (PHN) agencies using Omaha System knowledge, behavior, and status ratings as benchmarking metrics. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: A descriptive, comparative study of benchmark attainment for a retrospective cohort of PHN clients (low-income, high-risk parents, primarily mothers) from 6 counties. MEASURES: Omaha System Problem Rating Scale for Outcomes data for selected problems. Benchmark measures were defined as a rating of 4 on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). INTERVENTION: Family home visiting services to low-income, high-risk parents. RESULTS: The highest percentage of benchmark attainment was for the Postpartum problem (knowledge, 76.2%; behavior, 94.0%; status, 96.6%), and the lowest was for the Interpersonal relationship problem (knowledge, 21.7%; behavior, 69.0%; status, 40.7%). All counties showed significant increases in client knowledge benchmark attainment, and 4 of 6 counties showed significant increases from baseline in behavior and status benchmark attainment. Significant differences were found between counties in client characteristics and benchmark attainment for knowledge, behavior, and status outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: There were consistent patterns in benchmark attainment and outcome improvement across counties and family home visiting studies. Benchmarking appears to be useful for comparison of population health status and home visiting program outcomes.

Pediatric injury prevention: methods of booster seat education.

Sixty elementary schools in Minneapolis were asked to participate in a study to evaluate the most effective education method to increase booster seat knowledge and use in kindergarten-age children. School personnel selected one of the following interventions: (1) written information, (2) parent education class and a free booster seat, or (3) student education and a free booster seat. Twenty schools participated, with 132 parents completing the telephone interview 3 to 6 months post-survey. Providing instructions to parent groups and teaching children in the classroom, along with providing an incentive booster seat, was shown to increase booster seat use. Providing information only was found to be ineffective. Pediatric and school nurses should focus their injury prevention efforts beyond written materials. Results indicate that presentations for children and their parents, along with incentives, can result in changes in behavior.