title: Healthy connections: a relational model to extend primary care into the perinatal period.
abstract: The need for quality models of primary health care is evident. This article describes one urban pediatric hospital initiative that has extended primary care to the perinatal period. Through this well-established newborn intervention program, nurse practitioners use a relational approach to provide comprehensive, family-focused services from the time of birth until the first primary care visit. The program has greatly improved compliance with primary care in the first 4 months of life, reduced newborn emergency department visits, and documented both consumer and provider satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: Healthy Connections Program, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Karl
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Limbo
authors.forename: V J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Ricker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001900:Boston; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D016294:Models, Nursing; D008960:Models, Psychological; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology*; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D015397:Program Evaluation