Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome in Central Mass: The Birthing Hospital Model


	The Central Mass Birthing Hospital Education Model The In-Hospital Parent Education Program is a cornerstone of the Campaign. Early on, Campaign members recognized that parents of newborns needed information about Shaken Baby Syndrome in an interesting, yet structured, format. The goal is to warn the parents of every newborn in Worcester County about the dangers of Shaken Baby Syndrome. Our "Worcester Model" is based on an in-hospital program developed by a neurosurgeon in Buffalo, New York, Mark Dias. In addition to maternity nurse training, the Central Mass SBS Prevention Campaign hospital program consists of the following components: a conversation between a trained nurse-educator and the parents of newborns while in the birthing hospital about the dangers of shaking; viewing a video, "Portrait of Promise" about preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome; receiving materials about crying and SBS prevention (the Project uses the brochure developed by Massachusetts Citizens for Children); signing a Parent Certificate; a follow up telephone call; a nurses' newsletter collecting and maintaining data regarding contacts and SBS incidence. The Parent Certificate, Video, and Brochure were field tested in groups involving parents and caregivers from all ages, socioecononic and ethic/racial backgrounds. The video and brochure are available in both Spanish and English. More than 2100 parents have learned about shaken baby syndrome prevention through the program. Fifty percent (50%) of parents who receive the prevention education agree to a follow up call in two to three months to assess their satisfaction with the program. In the post-hospital survey, ninety percent (90%) of the parents trained said they remembered the video. Seventy-five percent (75%) said they read the brochure. Of those who read the brochure, eighty-two percent (82%) said they had shared the information in the brochure with other caretakers of their child. The Program was first piloted in two Worcester County hospitals: Henry Heywood Hospital in Gardner and Harrington Memorial Hospital in Southbridge. The SBS programs in those two hospitals were featured in news stories by WBUR (an NPR affiliate) and New England Cable News. In mid 2004, the program was introduced to St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester and Milford-Whitinsville Regional Hospital in Milford, MA. Milford-Whitensville Hospital fully implemented the in-hospital program in December, 2004. St. Vincent Hospital implemented the program in 2005. HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster, MA, is using a modified version of the program. UMass Memorial Medical Center--the largest birthing hospital in Central Massachusetts--has begun the implementation process. DA/DSS Roundtable \| 6 Tragedies \| \| Return Home \| About SBS \| About the Campaign \| What's New? \| Great Links \|