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 What is the Outpatient Perinatal Education Program?

The Outpatient Perinatal Education Program (OPEP) is a continuing Baby Footeducation program describing care of the high risk mother, fetus, and infant, designed for providers of outpatient obstetric and neonatal care. It is available for purchase by regional perinatal educators everywhere, for use as an outreach tool. 

Why have a Perinatal Program aimed at Outpatient Providers?

Prevention and treatment of high risk complications of mothers, fetuses, and newborns begins during pregnancy and even preconceptionally. Care of high risk mothers and newborns extends beyond the perinatal period and continues through the first year of the infant's life or beyond. The majority of pregnancy and post delivery care for mother and fetus/infant is provided in the outpatient setting. It is only by including the team of outpatient providers in a comprehensive system of outreach education that real inroads can be made into morbidity and mortality associated with many high risk conditions for mothers and newborns. opepRBtraining

Clinicians and educators at the University of Virginia initially developed an education program that was aimed at inpatient perinatal providers (see PCEP). Some of the same and additional UVA clinicans and educators have now developed a program aimed at outpatient providers.
 
Who is the program designed for?

  
The targeted audience is physicians, nurses in offices, clinics, home care companies, and public health departments, and allied health professionals in these settings. The program is multidisciplinary in focus, since patient needs are usually met by a team of  providers with  roles that may change depending upon the patient care setting. 

What is the format of OPEP?Books 

The program is designed to be a practical guide to perinatal care, using accepted national standards. It includes:

Regional coordinators offer the program to area practitioners and organize the hands-on experiences.  NOTE: If an individual, not affiliated with a participating regional center, wishes to purchase the books for self study, they can receive continuing education credits for the self-instructional modules but NOT for skill sessions or videos.  Contact the authors for instructions.