Omaha System innovations: Student-led data-based projects

Background and Issues: It is critical to engage students in meaningful scholarship and enquiry during their academic careers. Omaha System clinical data sets allow students to develop relevant brief projects that generate new knowledge. A data benchmarking study, a comparative study of outcomes for mothers with intellectual disabilities vs. a matched comparison group, and a data reliability study exemplars are described. Description: In the benchmarking study, the student reviewed literature on public health nurse data benchmarking. The purpose was to determine the feasibility of benchmarking maternal child health outcomes using Omaha System data. Generalized Estimating Equations methods were employed with an existing data set. Results showed that parenting knowledge outcomes were positively associated with length of services, and negatively associated with having the residence, substance use, and income problems. The study established a precedent for use of rigorous statistical methods in benchmarking maternal-child health outcomes. In the intellectual disabilities study, the paper reviewed literature on outcomes for mothers with intellectual disabilities. The purpose was to compare home visiting services and outcomes for mothers with intellectual disabilities and a matched cohort comparison group. Both groups attained desired outcomes after receiving services. Mothers with intellectual disabilities received more services for more problems than mothers in the comparison group. Mothers in the comparison group had significantly higher ratings for some problems. These results provide an opportunity for service providers, home visiting nurses and public health agencies to understand the unique needs of mothers with intellectual disabilities. Family home visiting appears to be effective in assisting parents with disabilities to have successful pregnancy and parenting outcomes. In the data reliability study, the students reviewed the literature on assessment of reliability in PHN documentation and gathered data. The purpose was to compare public health nurse ratings to researcher ratings. Results demonstrated the need for agency investment in inter-rater reliability for outcomes documentation. Lessons Learned: Faculty and students benefitted from working with project stakeholders, engaging in shared research and publication, and meaningful use of nursing's data to inform nursing's work. Recommendations: Faculty-student-community teams should identify opportunities for meaningful use of Omaha System data.