Abstract
Purpose: Adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner (AGACNP) education has not held a historical emphasis on care of acutely ill obstetric patients. The aim of this study was to examine the knowledge base and self-efficacy of AGACNP students pre- and post-multimodal instruction in the care of this vulnerable patient population.
Background: Maternal mortality has risen in the United States from 7.2 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1987 to 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. Obstetric patients are more likely to be of advanced age with chronic illnesses and using reproductive technologies than in previous years. An increase in premature infants surviving into adulthood, with a variety of health consequences, are becoming pregnant. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic increased the risk for hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, severe complications, and death in unvaccinated obstetric patients. Many obstetric patients with acute or critical illness are transferred to general ICU, but there is a lack of literature addressing knowledge and self-efficacy of nurse practitioner (NP) or NP students caring for these patients.
Methodology: A pilot study was conducted using a quasi-experimental pre-posttest design to examine AGACNP student knowledge base and self-efficacy in caring for acutely ill obstetric patients. A 20-question knowledge base examination was developed by the research team based on content delivered to students during the study period. Self-efficacy was measured using a revised Obstetric Nursing Self-Efficacy (ONSE) scale adapted for use in the AGACNP student population.
Results: Statistical analysis of paired samples demonstrated an increase in mean self-efficacy scores of 25.8(8.4) with a t-value of 9.25, degrees of freedom of 8, and p-value <0.001. A difference in the pre-education and post-education knowledge base examination mean score of 2.5(3.2), with a t-value of 2.49, degrees of freedom of 9, and p-value of 0.03 was demonstrated.
Conclusion: Based on the results, integrating critical care obstetric-focused content prepares the AGACNP student to provide care to the critically ill obstetric patient in both foundational knowledge and self-efficacy. This curricular content can be adapted to expand across all academic nursing programs, clinical practice settings, postgraduate education during role transition, and continuing education for nurses and nurse practitioners in acute care settings.
Notes
References:
Guimond ME, Simonelli MC. Development of the obstetric nurse self-efficacy scale instrument. Clin Simul Nurs. 2012;8(6):e277-e232. doi:10.1016/j.ecns.2011.01.007.2
Kim AY, Sim IO. Mediating factors in nursing competency: a structural model analysis for nurses’ communication, self-leadership, self-efficacy, and nurse performance. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(18):6850. doi:10.3390/ijerph17186850.
Luebcke C, Foli K, Wolverton C, Kirby K. Improving nurse self efficacy in caring for critical care obstetric patients. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(5):208-215. doi:10.3928/00220124-20230405-005.
Luebcke C, Smith BE, Abrahamson K. An integrated review of obstetric admissions in the intensive care unit. Dimens Crit Care Nurs. 2022;41(3):132-143. doi:10.1097/DCC.0000000000000521.
Maternal mortality rates in the United States. 2022. Center for Disease Control. Accessed June 2, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/maternal-mortality/2022/maternal-mortalityrates-2022.htm
Sigma Membership
Alpha
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quasi-Experimental Study, Other
Research Approach
Pilot/Exploratory Study
Keywords:
Acute Care, Teaching and Learning Strategies, Curriculum Development, Nursing Education, Advances in Education, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Recommended Citation
Brower, Jennifer and Luebcke, Caitlin, "Advancing Nurse Practitioner Education Using Targeted Curriculum in Critical Care Obstetrics" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 10.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/10
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-11-18
Advancing Nurse Practitioner Education Using Targeted Curriculum in Critical Care Obstetrics
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Purpose: Adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner (AGACNP) education has not held a historical emphasis on care of acutely ill obstetric patients. The aim of this study was to examine the knowledge base and self-efficacy of AGACNP students pre- and post-multimodal instruction in the care of this vulnerable patient population.
Background: Maternal mortality has risen in the United States from 7.2 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1987 to 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. Obstetric patients are more likely to be of advanced age with chronic illnesses and using reproductive technologies than in previous years. An increase in premature infants surviving into adulthood, with a variety of health consequences, are becoming pregnant. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic increased the risk for hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, severe complications, and death in unvaccinated obstetric patients. Many obstetric patients with acute or critical illness are transferred to general ICU, but there is a lack of literature addressing knowledge and self-efficacy of nurse practitioner (NP) or NP students caring for these patients.
Methodology: A pilot study was conducted using a quasi-experimental pre-posttest design to examine AGACNP student knowledge base and self-efficacy in caring for acutely ill obstetric patients. A 20-question knowledge base examination was developed by the research team based on content delivered to students during the study period. Self-efficacy was measured using a revised Obstetric Nursing Self-Efficacy (ONSE) scale adapted for use in the AGACNP student population.
Results: Statistical analysis of paired samples demonstrated an increase in mean self-efficacy scores of 25.8(8.4) with a t-value of 9.25, degrees of freedom of 8, and p-value <0.001. A difference in the pre-education and post-education knowledge base examination mean score of 2.5(3.2), with a t-value of 2.49, degrees of freedom of 9, and p-value of 0.03 was demonstrated.
Conclusion: Based on the results, integrating critical care obstetric-focused content prepares the AGACNP student to provide care to the critically ill obstetric patient in both foundational knowledge and self-efficacy. This curricular content can be adapted to expand across all academic nursing programs, clinical practice settings, postgraduate education during role transition, and continuing education for nurses and nurse practitioners in acute care settings.
Description
Increasing maternal mortality rates and volumes of acutely ill obstetric patients necessitating care outside of obstetric-focused nursing units requires a competent workforce to provide quality care to this population. Integration of targeted acute and critical care obstetrics curriculum in an acute care nurse practitioner program demonstrated an increase in both the knowledge base and self-efficacy of nurse practitioner students following multi-modal instruction over the course of 12 months.