FIMR Case Abstraction: Analysis of the Process and Outcomes

The purpose of this presentation is to describe a collaborative effort between a local health department and college that provided nursing students with the opportunity for students to gain useful research and scholarly experience under the direction of a faculty member with expertise in MCH. At the same time, the health department advanced its objectives with respect to furthering the investigation of county fetal and infant mortality in order to gain better insight into the etiology of these deaths. Of particular note, the data included sociodemographic, perinatal health and general health care related factors. Case abstraction and summaries were conducted by the students. Data was then analyzed to search for patterns in the characteristics surrounding the deaths. This analysis served to stimulate discussion on the role of nursing and other health care providers in addressing the issue of fetal and infant deaths. Case summaries were then presented to the County's FIMR Task Force in an effort to link etiology with potential solutions or need for further information. Additionally, aggregate data analysis on the cases was completed revealing factors for further analysis.