Chin, Hannah Hersh, Sally

TENS unit non-pharmacological intervention Pain Management Pregnancy Quality Improvement Labor Pain Workflow Insurance Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation Delivery of Health Care Midwifery 2022 This paper describes a quality improvement initiative aimed at increasing midwifery knowledge and patient access to Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) units for the management of late pregnancy and early labor pain. The project was designed using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model for quality improvement. Educational materials were created to guide discussions with pregnant patients at their 34-week prenatal visit on the efficacy of TENS units for late pregnancy and early labor pain. A workflow was also developed to assist midwives in ordering TENS units for insurance reimbursement. Data were collected on whether patients elected to proceed with TENS use and the project found that over 30% of patients desired to use TENS units for late pregnancy and early labor pain management. Future projects should focus on integrating this workflow sustainably into practice and adding flexibility for discussing TENS units at various points in pregnancy. Oregon Health and Science University Final project 10.6083/6969z1427