Bridging Gaps: Creating a Digital Toolkit to Support Pregnant and Parenting Youth

Abstract

Despite declines in teen pregnancy, pregnant teens remain at risk for poor health and educational outcomes due to a lack of care coordination and access to resources. The purpose of this project was to develop and launch a care coordination toolkit to provide resources to pregnant and parenting youth (PPY) at a large urban school district. School personnel were trained on the use of the toolkit and completed pre- and posttraining surveys to evaluate changes in knowledge and confidence. Youth were given immediate access to resources via posters with a trackable, yet anonymous, Quick Response (QR) code piloted in 10 schools. Thirty-three staff participated. Knowledge increased by 66.1% posttraining. Confidence improved by 46.9%. In one month, the trackable QR code was scanned 37 times. This evidence-based practice project is in alignment with NASN's School Nursing Practice Framework and harnesses the expertise of nurses to protect the health of PPY.

Keywords

teen pregnancy care coordination evidence-based practice school nurses

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