Improved perinatal knowledge in community hospitals through a self-instructional program

The Perinatal Continuing Education Program (PCEP) was conducted throughout South Carolina. The program was well received and greatly valued; however, participants requested more information covering obstetrics. To meet this need, we developed the Perinatal Education Program for Community Hospitals (PEPCH), patterned after and similar to PCEP, and tested it in South Carolina and southern California. In the South Carolina trial, the posttest was found reliable (Kuder-Richardson index = .77). In the California trial, the pretest/posttest reliability was confirmed. Learning for nurses was documented (pretest = 30.8 +/- 5.3, posttest = 36.8 +/- 5.5, P less than .001). Completion rate for this voluntary program was 84%. We conclude that a self-study program based in the community hospital can improve knowledge of perinatal professionals.