The Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) announced a new database to assist Women's Service Line Leaders with generating the evidence needed to drive clinical, staffing and financial decisions.

The AWHONN EDGE™, which stands for "Extract Data & Generate Evidence", is currently in the beta testing phase with 20 hospitals nationwide, and is expected to launch in early 2009. The AWHONN EDGE™ technology automatically extracts data directly from a patient's electronic medical record into the database. It will also allow institutions to trend their own data, as well as compare their data to "like" hospitals and to all participating hospitals. The database is online, allowing leaders to access reports at any time.

"AWHONN is committed to providing professional resources and support, empowering nurses to provide superior evidence-based care to newborns and women. The AWHONN EDGE™ database is a unique tool that allows us to further our mission," said AWHONN Interim Executive Director Karen Peddicord, RNC, PhD.

Mary Lou Jones, RN, PhD, CNAA (BC), Women and Children's Service Director, Kaiser Permanente, Sacramento Medical Center, adds, "AWHONN recognized a need for institutions to have clinical data to drive staffing, financial and quality decisions specific to women and infant's health. The AWHONN EDGE™ database fills the need of nurse executives to make better, evidence-based decisions in patient care. In addition, the database will provide a benchmark and national standards to guide nursing practice in perinatal care for the future." Strategic Thinking Industries (STI) is the AWHONN technology partner for AWHONN EDGE™ database. STI was chosen as a partner because of its specialization and expertise in providing women's and children's health care professionals with industry leading information technologies.

About AWHONN

The Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) is the foremost nursing authority that advances the health care of women and newborns through advocacy, research and the creation of high quality, evidence-based standards of care.

AWHONN's 22,000 members worldwide are clinicians, educators and executives who serve as patient care advocates focusing on the needs of women and infants.

A leader in professional development, AWHONN is the first and only association to be awarded the designation Premier Provider by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for innovation and excellence in Continuing Nursing Education.

AWHONN was founded in 1969 as the Nurses Association of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The association became a separate nonprofit organization called the Association of Women's Health and Neonatal Nurses in 1993.

Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses