Supportive measures for high-risk infants and families

The experience of providing a 3-month nursing program of care to infants and their families with physical, health, and social-environmental risks is presented. An individualized case approach was used which first involved a nursing assessment of the family, infant, and environmental needs and then was followed by subsequent appropriate nursing intervention. Brammer's conceptual model about the helping process was used to assist the analysis of the success or failure experienced in assisting these high-risk families. The differences that emerged were in the mothers' involvement in the exploration phase which involves goal setting. Families with incomplete progression through the helping process not only participated in less mutual decision making, but they were also less open to the initial assessment phase and had higher social risk. The nurses had less total contact with the uninvolved families. A brief description of a subsequent approach to provide effective nursing to a socially high-risk group of pregnant women is given. The approach involves a more extended period of intervention and emphasizes the development of a therapeutic relationship.