Identifying optimal labor and delivery nurse staffing: The case of cesarean births and nursing hours.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have identified a relationship between nurse staffing and adverse patient outcomes in medical / surgical patient populations. However, little is known about the impact of labor and delivery (L&D) nurse staffing and adverse birth outcomes, such as unintended cesarean delivery, in low-risk term-gestation women. PURPOSE: We examined nurse staffing patterns on the likelihood of cesarean sections (C-sections) among low- risk, full gestation births and provided a testing framework to distinguish optimal from ineffective levels of nurse staffing. METHODS: This retrospective descriptive study used hours of productive nursing time per delivery as the treatment variable to determine direct nursing time per delivery and its impact on the likelihood of a C-section. For comparisons, we also assessed the likelihood of augmentations and of inductions, as well as the number of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hours per birth. We limited our sample to those births between 37 and 42 weeks of gestation. Two complimentary models (the quadratic and piecewise regressions) distinguishing optimal staffing patterns from ineffective staffing patterns were developed. The study was implemented in eleven hospitals that are part of a large, integrated healthcare system in the Southwest. DISCUSSION: While a simple linear regression of the likelihood of a C-section on nursing hours per delivery indicated no statistically distinguishable effect, our 'optimal staffing' model indicated that nurse staffing hours employed by using a large sample of hospitals were actually minimizing C-sections (robustness checks are provided using similar model comparisons for the likelihood of augmentation and induction, and NICU hours). Where the optimal staffing models did not appear to be effective for augmentations, inductions, and NICU hours, we found significant differences between facilities (i.e., significant fixed effects for hospitals). In all specifications, we also controlled for weeks of gestation, race, sex of the child, and mother's age.

Evaluation of a nursing and midwifery exchange between rural and metropolitan hospitals: A mixed methods study.

INTRODUCTION: This paper reports on the findings of the Nursing and Midwifery Exchange Program, initiated to promote rural and remote nursing and midwifery, and to facilitate clinical skills development and clinical collaboration between health services in Queensland, Australia. The project was undertaken over an 18-month period in one state of Australia, offering structured, temporary exchange of personnel between metropolitan and rural health services. BACKGROUND: Globally, there is an increasing awareness of nursing shortages, and with it, the need to ensure that nurses and midwives are prepared for specialist roles and practice. This is particularly important in rural and remote areas, where there are pre-existing barriers to access to services, and difficulties in attracting suitably qualified, permanent staff. METHODS: A mixed methods approach to the evaluation was undertaken with two cohorts. One cohort was the nurses and midwives who participated in the exchange (n = 24) and the other cohort were managers of the participating health services (n = 10). The nurses and midwives who participated in the exchange were asked to complete a questionnaire that included questions related to embeddedness and job satisfaction. The managers participated in a Delphi series of interviews. RESULTS: Those who participated in exchange reporting a higher score on the reported degree of understanding of rural client, which was accompanied with a moderate-to-large effect size estimate (d = 0.61). Nurses/midwives in the exchange group reported higher scores on their perceptions of aspects of their home community that would be lost if they had to leave, which was accompanied with a large effect size (d = 0.83). Overall, NMEP was reported by the participants to be a positive way to improve professional development opportunities for nurses and midwives. The findings also show the program supported practical collaboration and raised the profile of nursing and midwifery in rural areas. CONCLUSION: Exchange programs support clinical and professional development, raising the awareness of different contexts of practice and related skills requirements, and thereby supporting a greater understanding of different nursing roles. In the light of increasingly complex care required by patients with chronic conditions being managed in community-based services, programs such as NMEP provide the opportunity to build collaborative networks between referring and referral centres as well as contribute to the ongoing skills development.

Inside a Postpartum Nursing Center: Tradition and Change.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore how traditional ritual practices are incorporated into the context of contemporary healthcare. METHODS: An ethnographic study was conducted, using observations and interviews with 27 first-time mothers and 3 nurses at a postpartum nursing center in Taipei, Taiwan. RESULTS: Nursing routines, policies and care provision at the center affected the way traditional ritual practices were conducted. New mothers in this study constructed their everyday activities at the center by incorporating and modifying the ritual practices inside and outside the postpartum nursing center setting. CONCLUSIONS: Social changes have an influence on traditional postpartum ritual practices so a postpartum nursing center becomes a choice for postpartum women. Thus, health care professionals should value their own functions and roles at the postpartum nursing center since the new mothers regard them as the primary support resource to help them recover from giving birth. Therefore, they need to re-examine their practices from the postpartum women's perspective to provide better support and sensitive care to postpartum women and their families.

Inside a Postpartum Nursing Center: Tradition and Change

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore how traditional ritual practices are incorporated into the context of contemporary healthcare. METHODS: An ethnographic study was conducted, using observations and interviews with 27 first-time mothers and 3 nurses at a postpartum nursing center in Taipei, Taiwan. RESULTS: Nursing routines, policies and care provision at the center affected the way traditional ritual practices were conducted. New mothers in this study constructed their everyday activities at the center by incorporating and modifying the ritual practices inside and outside the postpartum nursing center setting. CONCLUSIONS: Social changes have an influence on traditional postpartum ritual practices so a postpartum nursing center becomes a choice for postpartum women. Thus, health care professionals should value their own functions and roles at the postpartum nursing center since the new mothers regard them as the primary support resource to help them recover from giving birth. Therefore, they need to re-examine their practices from the postpartum women's perspective to provide better support and sensitive care to postpartum women and their families.

El parto realizado por matronas: una revisión integradora / The work performed by the childbirth midwives: an integrative review

Este artículo tiene como objetivo analizar las tendencias de las publicaciones sobre el trabajo realizado en casa por parteras. Se realizó una revisión integradora en las bases de datos LILACS y SciELO, en febrero de 2012. Se utilizaron las palabras clave: parteras tradicionales; parto domiciliario; parto normal. Tuveron los siguientes criterios de inclusión: los artículos completos en portugués y español, presentar el contenido que cumpla con los objetivos del estudio y que fueron publicados entre enero de 2002 y enero de 2012. La muestra se compone de 13 artículos sometidos a análisis de contenido temático y clasificación del nivel de evidencia. Se evidenciaron las siguientes categorías: "El reconocimiento social de las parteras", "La elección del parto en casa para las mujeres", "La atención de las parteras con la madre y el niño". Para las mujeres embarazadas, el parto en casa permite varias ventajas como la comodidad, la autonomía, intimidad, y sobre todo la libertad de movimiento. Las parteras realizaron el cuidado en prenatal y posparto con el fin de salvaguardar y prevenir problemas de salud tanto para la madre y el niño. Se observó que el reconocimiento de la comunidad fue, para las parteras, la mayor recompensa por su trabajo. Hay una gran necesidad de más estudios sobre este tema, ya que esta práctica seguirá durante muchos años, porque las parteras desempeñan y siempre desempeñarán un papel importante en las vidas de las mujeres que desean este tipo de entrega(AU)

The study was aimed to analyze the trend of publications about the childbirth performed at home by midwives. It is an integrative review performed in the databases LILACS and SciELO in February of 2012. The following key-words were used: midwives practical, home childbirth and natural childbirth. The inclusion criteria were: full papers in Portuguese and Spanish, in which the content meets the goals of the study and were published from January 2002 to January 2012. The sample was composed by 13 articles and submitted to thematic content analysis with evidence level of classification. There were emerged the following categories: "the choice of home childbirth", "the care of midwives with the mother and baby" and "social recognition of midwives." For pregnant women, birth at home, allowed several advantages such as comfort, autonomy, privacy, and especially freedom of movement. It was observed that midwives performed antenatal and postpartum in order to safeguard and prevent health problems for both the mother and the baby. It was evident that the community's recognition was for the midwives, the greatest reward for your work. It is a great need for more studies on this topic, since this practice perpetuated along the years, because the midwives play and always play a big role in the lives of women who want this type of delivery(AU)

Oferta formativa en terapias alternativas y complementarias para la asistencia al parto / Training programmes in complementary and alternative therapies for midwifery

Las terapias complementarias y alternativas (TCA) son las intervenciones y prácticas que no forman parte del sistema sanitario convencional. En la obstetricia, su uso es cada día más frecuente. Para asesorar a las gestantes es necesario tener unos conocimientos adecuados al respecto. El objetivo de este estudio es conocer la oferta formativa de las matronas en TCA para la atención al parto mediante una revisión bibliográfica y la consulta de fuentes documentales. El actual programa de formación no las contempla y su aprendizaje depende de motivaciones personales. Existe poca información al respecto. Para recomendarlas y utilizarlas con eficacia y seguridad, es necesario dedicar más recursos a la investigación e incorporarlas en los planes convencionales de estudio (AU)

Complementary and alternative therapies (CAM) are interventions and practices not used in the conventional healthcare system. The application of these therapies is becoming increasingly common in Obstetrics. An adequate knowledge of CAM is required to advise pregnant women. The aim of this study was to determine the training of midwives in TCA for delivery care through a literature review and consultation of documentary sources. The current training programme does not include such therapies and learning depends on personal motivation. There is little information. To recommend these therapies and use them effectively and safely, it is necessary to devote more resources to research and incorporate CAM in conventional plans of study (AU)

A influência do habitus da enfermeira nas representações das mulheres acerca do parto: o surgimento de uma nova demanda social para o campo obstétrico / The influence of nurse’s habitus in the women’s representation about childbirth: the appearance of a new social demand for the obstetric area

O presente estudo tem como objeto as representações mentais de mulheres produzidas pelas enfermeiras obstétricas na assistência ao parto. Os objetivos foram: Discutir as representações mentais das mulheres assistidas pelas enfermeiras sobre o parto e a prática obstétrica; Discutir o habitus da enfermeira obstétrica percebido pela mulher e Analisar as relações de poder simbólico entre os agentes envolvidos no processo de parturição. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa que utilizou a história oral temática e o teste de associação de palavras como técnicas de coleta de dados. Para a análise do material, utilizamos o método da análise de conteúdo de Bardin. A fim de dar sustentação teórica ao estudo, adotamos os conceitos de: campo, capitais, habitus, poder simbólico, trocas linguísticas, identidade e representações mentais, desenvolvidos por Pierre Bourdieu. Os resultados encontrados foram agrupados em duas categorias: “As representações mentais das mulheres sobre o parto e a prática obstétrica: as percepções construídas e desconstruídas com o processo de parturição” e ”O habitus da enfermeira obstétrica percebido pelas mulheres durante o processo de parturição: o poder simbólico destas agentes na construção de uma nova demanda social para o campo obstétrico”. A primeira categoria apresentou as representações construídas pela socialização e as transformações das representações mentais das mulheres consequente à interação com a enfermeira no campo obstétrico. Neste sentido, as percepções das mulheres sobre o parto e a prática obstétrica confirmaram a forte influência do modelo tecnocrático nos depoimentos. Além disso, a prática humanizada da enfermeira contribuiu para a construção de uma nova visão de mundo nas mulheres pesquisadas que provocou um confronto entre suas representações mentais...

The object of this study is the women’s mental representations produced by obstetric nurses in labor care. Aims: To discuss the mental representations of women assisted by nurses on labor and the obstetric practice; to discuss the habitus of the obstetric nurse perceived by the women, and to analyze the symbolic power relationships among the agents involved in the labor process. It is a qualitative study that used the thematic oral history and the word association test as data collection technique. As for the material analysis, we used Bardin's content analysis methodology; In order to provide theoretical support to the study, we adopted the following concepts: field, capitals, habitus, symbolic power, linguistic exchange, identity and mental representations developed by Pierre Bourdieu. The results found were grouped into two categories: “The women’s mental representations on labor and the obstetric practice: the constructed and deconstructed perceptions with the labor process” and “The obstetric nurse’s habitus perceived by women during the labor process: the symbolic power of these agents in building a new social demand for the obstetric area”. The first category presented the representations constructed from the socialization and the transformations of the women’s mental representations as a result of the interaction with the nurse in the obstetric area. In this sense, the women’s perceptions on labor and the obstetric practice confirmed the strong influence of the technocratic model on the testimonies. In addition, the nurse’s humanized practice contributed to the construction of a new vision of the world among the women studied, which resulted in a crash in their mental representations...

Trends and controversies in labor induction.

In 2005, the rate of induction of labor for all births in the United States calculated from birth certificate data approached 22.3%. In 2006, the Listening To Mothers II Study suggested that induction of labor might be as high as 50% if attempts at self-induction are considered. All induction methods hold some measure of risk for minor and more serious and sometimes even life-threatening complications for the mother and fetus. This article contains a review of the physiology of labor, accepted pharmacologic and mechanical methods of induction, and data about alternative methods women use for induction, including acupuncture and herbal preparations. Risks and complications for women undergoing labor induction are described, and the role of the nurse in patient education and counseling is discussed.