New roles for Nurse-Family Partnership public health nurse home visitors: Digital Video Disc (DVD) productions

Public health professionals are committed to improving the health and well-being of those they serve. Who, what, why, where, when and how specific services are designed, provided and funded is predicated on successful marketing, recruitment and retention strategies and measurable outcomes. In today's world of rapidly changing technology as well as the public's gravitation toward visual communication mediums including internet, television, digital video discs (DVDs), and webcams, the methods of engagement and retention of target populations must reflect today's reality. This presentation describes the Philadelphia Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) public health nurse home visit model, program goals, participant and child outcomes, and one communication strategy to maximize recruitment and retention rates. The Philadelphia NFP serves low income, high risk, first-time mothers-to-be and their first born children until their second birthdays. Program completion (retention for 30 months) is challenging. The goal is to graduate 60% of participants. Philadelphia NFP loses a significant number of participants during the infancy and toddler phases of the program as compared to national NFP data. Clinical conferences and individual case reviews documented that the communication materials regarding the NFP program and goals needed to reflect the learning patterns of participants. The Philadelphia NFP participants and nurses had to become more visual! Therefore, public health nurses and their NFP mothers and babies partnered together to produce the first of two Philadelphia NFP DVDs. The 2007 DVD is used in home and community settings to introduce the NFP program; reinforce graduation goals and timelines; and share the successes of NFP graduates with new participants. For newly enrolled participants, data regarding all retention phases (pregnancy, infancy and toddlerhood) will be available in 2010. Lessons learned to date, participant feedback, and recommendations for similar public health initiatives to engage and retain target populations are shared. Viewing the DVD is part of the session. Rationale for the second Philadelphia NFP DVD, and its target populations concludes the session.