Signs & symptoms of prenatal emergencies

A small military hospital at an isolated duty station in California relied on registered nurse volunteers with the American Red Cross to teach patient education classes. One of the classes was called the “Early Bird Class” for women with newly diagnosed pregnancies. The class was mandatory in order to get a first prenatal appointment whether this was a first pregnancy or not. Both active-duty women and dependent wives were required to attend the class. Numbers at the class were usually high—the weekly audience varied from 5 to 20 women.

The small classroom was located at the base chapel and was used for Sunday school on weekends. Due to budget cutbacks, most materials for teaching were over 5 years old and homemade. They consisted of a brief video on early pregnancy, a lecture with flip charts, and handouts. The audio-visual

equipment was unreliable. Some of the topics covered were nutrition, avoidance of alcohol &tobacco, exercise guidelines, management of discomforts, what to expect from the hospital prenatal care & delivery process, signs & symptoms of prenatal

emergencies, and preparation for childbirth class information. While some patients voiced resentment or frustration at their required attendance, the instructor received good feedback from the hospital staff about the level of preparation provided to these patients. A. List the barriers to education and the obstacles to learning.________________________________________________________________

B. The “Early Bird Class” filled a real need for the essentials of prenatal

education. Why might the class have been successful overall, despite its

limitations?