Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing
ResearchWomen's Reasons for Attrition from a Nurse Home Visiting Program
Section snippets
Methods
This qualitative descriptive study was conducted at an NFP site in a medium‐sized city in New York that served a primarily urban population, which consisted of non‐Hispanic African American (60%), non‐Hispanic White (30%), and Hispanic (10%) women. Data were collected in two phases: interviews of women who dropped out of the NFP and focus groups with NFP nursing staff and supervisors.
Sample Description
We attempted to contact 196 mothers and successfully interviewed 21 (11%). No working telephone number was available for 116 mothers (59%), the available telephone numbers were not answered for 46 mothers (23%), and messages were left for nine mothers. Of the 27 clients we reached, 78% agreed to participate. All participants were at least age 18 by the time of the interview. Mothers were interviewed 9 months to 4 years after leaving the program, and they had been in the program 3 to 30 months,
Discussion
This study provides insight into some reasons why mothers drop out of a home visiting program. If the mother does not see the program as matching her needs, and her organizational and/or communication skills are not well aligned with program expectations, she may not be motivated to overcome the challenges of staying in the program. Communication challenges may make it difficult for the mother to find relevance if she is unable to convey her needs to her nurse. Enhancing a mother's
Conclusion
Mothers, nurses, and nurse supervisors reported similar barriers to continuing engagement of mothers in this longitudinal program. Although external influences beyond the scope of NFP play a role, retention might be improved by implementing new strategies to address program relevance to individual mothers, helping mothers develop organizational and communication skills early in the program, and determining how to keep mothers engaged during or after crises. Other home visiting programs may
Acknowledgement
Supported by the University of Rochester (UR) Center for Community Health, UR School of Nursing, and an NRSA Institutional Research Training Grant (T32 PE12002).
Margaret L. Holland, PhD, MPH, is an associate research scientist in the Yale School of Nursing, West Haven, CT.
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Cited by (0)
Margaret L. Holland, PhD, MPH, is an associate research scientist in the Yale School of Nursing, West Haven, CT.
Julie J. Christensen, PhD, LMSW, is a senior health project coordinator at the University of Rochester, Rochester, NY.
Laura P. Shone, MSW, DrPH, is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY.
Margaret H. Kearney, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a professor in the School of Nursing, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY.
Harriet J. Kitzman, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a professor in the School of Nursing, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY.
The authors report no conflict of interest or relevant financial relationships.