Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Blending Childbirth Education and eLearning--> Dreams to Reality

Just a few short years ago, I took an impromptu "study" in my childbirth education class to see where parents went for their information.  In 2008, information resources ranked like this: (1) Friends; (2) Family; (3) Books; (4) Internet; and (5) Careprovider.  Now while this was very far from being a scientific study, educators are finding out today that the internet has moved up to #2 if not #1 in the rank of pregnancy/parenting information gathering resources.  I will be speaking on this topic at the 2013 Lamaze International Conference in New Orleans in October.  What remains important as the paradigm shifts more toward elearning is evidence based information.  Guest blogger Dianne Moran RN, LCCE, ICD from Customized Communications shares about blazing this very important new trail!




Have you ever seen the movie, The Field of Dreams? In the movie, the lead character is walking through a cornfield and he hears a voice telling him “If you build it, they will come.

The premise was if he cleared this cornfield to build a baseball ball diamond, he’d be able to host baseball’s greatest players and people would flock from everywhere to pay for a seat to watch a game. Today, more people are familiar with this phrase because it is commonly used in the world of business. It implies that if you offer a product, the customer will magically appear and want to pay you for it.

Well, that is a dream.

Most of us know success isn’t simply attained because you’ve built something. You have to position it to attract an audience and then tell them that you have what they need and most importantly why they need it from you. That requires a bit more creative finesse.

With the latest developments in healthcare reform, our clients are faced with adapting to an ever-changing landscape in hospital healthcare. Hospitals and health systems realize now more than ever that it’s simply not enough to exist as a brick and mortar establishment. They have to strategize effectively to draw the community closer and market the most comprehensive procedure they have; the patient experience. This is a great challenge because this experience doesn’t simply begin the moment they see a nurse.

The patient experience begins at home. Right now a pregnant woman is online, searching for answers to her questions about childbirth and preparing to make a monumental decision; where to have her baby.

This is where cycle of influential healthcare starts and for hospitals, the prenatal period is a prime opportunity to reach that prospective patient. At CCI, we are consistently exploring ways to help our clients use patient education to position themselves within their communities to:
  • ·         Keep the hospital’s brand of healthcare highly visible and distinguishable above all the rest
  • ·         Engage and educate the expectant community
  • ·         Use the momentum of a positive birth outcome as a catalyst for more growth and more success


In 2008, we began cultivating our own Field of Dreams when we set out to revolutionize the way patients and hospitals connect. We started by carefully calibrating each program within our Mother-Baby library into a resource hospitals could position on their website. The goal of our eLearning was to connect the expectant patient with the nurses and educators at her hospital by offering her access to educational programs 24/7.

It’s been five years now and our dream of building a dynamic pathway between the patient and the hospital has become a reality. eLearning has quickly become one of the most innovative tools we can offer a hospital.
So where that guy heard a voice in the middle of a cornfield, we hear that mama’s voice somewhere within your community saying “If you teach me, I will come” This is the voice of expectant parents in your community, and eLearning is just one of the many ways, you can reach her and her family now and in the years to come.

Dianne Moran, RN, LCCE, ICD

Customized Communications, Inc.

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