Taking the Worry Out of Pregnancy Pain
Monday, July 6, 2020
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All Categories, Women's & Children's, Expanded Services
Bayhealth’s Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Community Group and Bayhealth’s Pain Management Team recently partnered on a new approach to helping pregnant women who are concerned about pain management during labor and delivery.
The NAS Community Group came up with the idea to be more proactive with communication and outreach to patients regarding pain management. “We wanted to find a way to manage their concerns before or as they came in the door so they could enjoy the birthing experience and not be worried about pain,” said Bayhealth’s Women’s Services Clinical Coordinator Donna Souza, BSN, RNC-MNN.
“We especially wanted to reach those with a history of opiate, narcotic or daily pain medication use,” added Bayhealth’s Women’s and Children’s Services Senior Nurse Manager Karen Kelly, MSN, RNC-OB.
As part of the collaboration, they created a letter to distribute at OB-GYN offices, clinics and drug treatment facilities. In the letter, patients are notified that Bayhealth’s Pain Management Team is available to assist them with a pain control plan before they’re admitted. However, they must speak to their OB-GYN or prenatal provider first. The letter also provides contact information for setting up appointments with Arthur Aduma, PharmD, pain management coordinator at Bayhealth Hospital, Kent Campus or David Bot, PharmD, pain management coordinator at Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus.
“The goal is to meet with the patients beforehand, when it’s less stressful for them and the medical team,” said Aduma. “We try to make appointments as convenient as possible for the patient. Doctors’ offices have been reaching out on behalf of their patients as well.”
Although they’ve only taken this approach with pregnant patients so far, due to its success, Aduma said he would like to see it expanded to other patient populations.
To learn more about Bayhealth's pain management services, contact Arthur Aduma at Arthur_Aduma@Bayhealth.org or 302-744-7516 or David Bot at David_Bot@Bayhealth.org or 302-430-5565.