Preventing abuse during pregnancy: a national educational model for health providers

The National Preceptorship Program was funded by the March of Dimes and established at Texas Woman's University in Houston to prepare health care providers to assess pregnant women for abuse and to initiate primary intervention strategies. Essential content was identified and a diversity of learner-focused teaching methods and learning strategies were required for the 21-hour program. Combining didactic and experiential strategies proved to be effective. Thirty-nine health care providers from across the country participated in the program. Process evaluation of the classroom and field learning experiences were particularly positive. A 1-year follow-up product evaluation revealed that participants had presented 120 seminars on preventing battering, had instituted assessment for battering in their agencies, and were planning future seminars.