Integration of a Mental Health Professional in a Multidisciplinary Team Caring for the Pregnant Woman after Diagnosis of Fetal Anomaly

Poster PresentationPurpose for the ProgramPregnancy is a time of psychologic change for women and their families. Even women with uncomplicated pregnancies report increased rates of depression, stress, and anxiety during the perinatal period. In addition, maternal mental health conditions may complicate 13% to 25% of all healthy pregnancies. The prenatal diagnosis of a fetal structural or genetic abnormality may further compound the psychologic effect on the pregnant woman. The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment and the Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit are outpatient and inpatient programs dedicated to caring for women experiencing pregnancies complicated by fetal anomalies. With increasing evidence that prenatal stress, anxiety, and preexisting mental health conditions may have long‐term sequelae for the pregnant woman, her fetus, and the family, it was imperative that these concerns be addressed.Proposed ChangeTo add a mental health professional to our multidisciplinary team. Philanthropic funding was generated and a clinical psychologist with perinatal experience was hired in 2012. This embedded provider partners with nursing staff and is in the unique position to offer assessment and immediate intervention to support women and families during the prenatal course, into intrapartum care, and throughout the postpartum period while their newborns are in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).Implementation, Outcomes, and EvaluationTo better understand the base ra...
Source: Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: Childbearing Source Type: research