Trends and Disparities in Severe Maternal Morbidity Indicator Categories during Childbirth Hospitalization in California from 1997 to 2017.

OBJECTIVE: Severe maternal morbidity (SMM) is increasing and characterized by substantial racial and ethnic disparities. Analyzing trends and disparities across time by etiologic or organ system groups instead of an aggregated index may inform specific, actionable pathways to equitable care. We explored trends and racial and ethnic disparities in seven SMM categories at childbirth hospitalization. STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed California birth cohort data on all live and stillbirths ≥ 20 weeks' gestation from 1997 to 2017 (n = 10,580,096) using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's SMM index. Cases were categorized into seven nonmutually exclusive indicator categories (cardiac, renal, respiratory, hemorrhage, sepsis, other obstetric, and other medical SMM). We compared prevalence and trends in SMM indicator categories overall and by racial and ethnic group using logistic and linear regression. RESULTS: SMM occurred in 1.16% of births and nontransfusion SMM in 0.54%. Hemorrhage SMM occurred most frequently (27 per 10,000 births), followed by other obstetric (11), respiratory (7), and sepsis, cardiac, and renal SMM (5). Hemorrhage, renal, respiratory, and sepsis SMM increased over time for all racial and ethnic groups. The largest disparities were for Black individuals, including over 3-fold increased odds of other medical SMM. Renal and sepsis morbidity had the largest relative increases over time (717 and 544%). Sepsis and hemorrhage SMM had the largest absolute changes over time (17 per 10,000 increase). Disparities increased over time for respiratory SMM among Black, U.S.-born Hispanic, and non-U.S.-born Hispanic individuals and for sepsis SMM among Asian or Pacific Islander individuals. Disparities decreased over time for sepsis SMM among Black individuals yet remained substantial. CONCLUSION: Our research further supports the critical need to address SMM and disparities as a significant public health priority in the United States and suggests that examining SMM subgroups may reveal helpful nuance for understanding trends, disparities, and potential needs for intervention. KEY POINTS: · By SMM subgroup, trends and racial and ethnic disparities varied yet Black individuals consistently had highest rates.. · Hemorrhage, renal, respiratory, and sepsis SMM significantly increased over time.. · Disparities increased for respiratory SMM among Black, U.S.-born Hispanic and non-U.S.-born Hispanic individuals and for sepsis SMM among Asian or Pacific Islander individuals..

Examining respect, autonomy, and mistreatment in childbirth in the US: do provider type and place of birth matter?

BACKGROUND: Analyses of factors that determine quality of perinatal care consistently rely on clinical markers, while failing to assess experiential outcomes. Understanding how model of care and birth setting influence experiences of respect, autonomy, and decision making, is essential for comprehensive assessment of quality. METHODS: We examined responses (n = 1771) to an online cross-sectional national survey capturing experiences of perinatal care in the United States. We used validated patient-oriented measures and scales to assess four domains of experience: (1) decision-making, (2) respect, (3) mistreatment, and (4) time spent during visits. We categorized the provider type and birth setting into three groups: midwife at community birth, midwife at hospital-birth, and physician at hospital-birth. For each group, we used multivariate logistic regression, adjusted for demographic and clinical characteristics, to estimate the odds of experiential outcomes in all the four domains. RESULTS: Compared to those cared for by physicians in hospitals, individuals cared for by midwives in community settings had more than five times the odds of experiencing higher autonomy (aOR: 5.22, 95% CI: 3.65-7.45), higher respect (aOR: 5.39, 95% CI: 3.72-7.82) and lower odds of mistreatment (aOR: 0.16, 95% CI: 0.10-0.26). We found significant differences across birth settings: participants cared for by midwives in the community settings had significantly better experiential outcomes than those in the hospital settings: high- autonomy (aOR: 2.97, 95% CI: 2.66-4.27), respect (aOR: 4.15, 95% CI: 2.81-6.14), mistreatment (aOR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.11-0.34), time spent (aOR: 8.06, 95% CI: 4.26-15.28). CONCLUSION: Participants reported better experiential outcomes when cared for by midwives than by physicians. And for those receiving midwifery care, the quality of experiential outcomes was significantly higher in community settings than in hospital settings. Care settings matter and structures of hospital-based care may impair implementation of the person-centered midwifery care model.

Hospital characteristics associated with nurse staffing during labor and birth: Inequities for the most vulnerable maternity patients.

BACKGROUND: Evidence is limited on nurse staffing in maternity units. PURPOSE: To estimate the relationship between hospital characteristics and adherence with Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses nurse staffing guidelines. METHODS: We enrolled 3,471 registered nurses in a cross-sectional survey and obtained hospital characteristics from the 2018 American Hospital Association Annual Survey. We used mixed-effects linear regression models to estimate associations between hospital characteristics and staffing guideline adherence. FINDINGS: Overall, nurses reported strong adherence to AWHONN staffing guidelines (rated frequently or always met by ≥80% of respondents) in their hospitals. Higher birth volume, having a neonatal intensive care unit, teaching status, and higher percentage of births paid by Medicaid were all associated with lower mean guideline adherence scores. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Important gaps in staffing were reported more frequently at hospitals serving patients more likely to have medical or obstetric complications, leaving the most vulnerable patients at risk.

Nurse-Reported Staffing Guidelines and Exclusive Breast Milk Feeding.

BACKGROUND: Nursing care is essential to overall quality of healthcare experienced by patients and families-especially during childbearing. However, evidence regarding quality of nursing care during labor and birth is lacking, and established nurse-sensitive outcome indicators have limited applicability to maternity care. Nurse-sensitive outcomes need to be established for maternity care, and prior research suggests that the initiation of human milk feeding during childbirth hospitalization is a potentially nurse-sensitive outcome. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between nurse-reported staffing, missed nursing care during labor and birth, and exclusive breast milk feeding during childbirth hospitalization as a nurse-sensitive outcome. METHODS: 2018 Joint Commission PC-05 Exclusive Breast Milk Feeding rates were linked to survey data from labor nurses who worked in a selected sample of hospitals with both PC-05 data and valid 2018 American Hospital Association Annual Survey data. Nurse-reported staffing was measured as the perceived compliance with Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses staffing guidelines by the labor and delivery unit. Data from the nurse survey were aggregated to the hospital level. Bivariate linear regression was used to determine associations between nurse and hospital characteristics and exclusive breast milk feeding rates. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to model relationships between nurse-reported staffing, nurse-reported missed care, and exclusive breast milk feeding at the hospital level. RESULTS: The sample included 184 hospitals in 29 states and 2,691 labor nurses who worked day, night, or evening shifts. Bivariate analyses demonstrated a positive association between nurse-reported staffing and exclusive breast milk feeding and a negative association between missed nursing care and exclusive breast milk feeding. In structural equation models controlling for covariates, missed skin-to-skin mother-baby care and missed breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth mediated the relationship between nurse-reported staffing and exclusive breast milk feeding rates. DISCUSSION: This study provides evidence that hospitals' nurse-reported compliance with Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses staffing guidelines predicts hospital-exclusive breast milk feeding rates and that the rates are a nurse-sensitive outcome.

Risk Factors for Dual Burden of Severe Maternal Morbidity and Preterm Birth by Insurance Type in California.

OBJECTIVES: Among childbearing women, insurance coverage determines degree of access to preventive and emergency care for maternal and infant health. Maternal-infant dyads with dual burden of severe maternal morbidity and preterm birth experience high physical and psychological morbidity, and the risk of dual burden varies by insurance type. We examined whether sociodemographic and perinatal risk factors of dual burden differed by insurance type. METHODS: We estimated relative risks of dual burden by maternal sociodemographic and perinatal characteristics in the 2007-2012 California birth cohort dataset stratified by insurance type and compared effects across insurance types using Wald Z-statistics. RESULTS: Dual burden ranged from 0.36% of privately insured births to 0.41% of uninsured births. Obstetric comorbidities, multiple gestation, parity, and birth mode conferred the largest risks across all insurance types, but effect magnitude differed. The adjusted relative risk of dual burden associated with preeclampsia superimposed on preexisting hypertension ranged from 9.1 (95% CI 7.6-10.9) for privately insured to 15.9 (95% CI 9.1-27.6) among uninsured. The adjusted relative risk of dual burden associated with cesarean birth ranged from 3.1 (95% CI 2.7-3.5) for women with Medi-Cal to 5.4 (95% CI 3.5-8.2) for women with other insurance among primiparas, and 7.0 (95% CI 6.0-8.3) to 19.4 (95% CI 10.3-36.3), respectively, among multiparas. CONCLUSIONS: Risk factors of dual burden differed by insurance type across sociodemographic and perinatal factors, suggesting that care quality may differ by insurance type. Attention to peripartum care access and care quality provided by insurance type is needed to improve maternal and neonatal health.

Social Construction of Target Populations: A Theoretical Framework for Understanding Policy Approaches to Perinatal Illicit Substance Screening.

Perinatal illicit substance use is a nursing and public health issue. Current screening policies have significant consequences for birthing individuals and their families. Racial disparities exist in spite of targeted and universal screening policies and practices. Thus, new theoretical approaches are needed to investigate perinatal illicit substance use screening in hospital settings. The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the social construction of target populations theory in the context of perinatal illicit substance use screening. Using the theoretical insights of this theory to interrogate the approaches taken by policy makers to address perinatal illicit substance use and screening provides the contextual framework needed to understand why specific policy tools were selected when designing public policy to address these issues. The analysis and evaluation of this theory was conducted using the theory description and critical reflection model.

Severe Maternal Morbidity: A Comparison of Definitions and Data Sources.

Severe maternal morbidity (SMM) is a composite outcome measure that indicates serious, potentially life-threatening maternal health problems. There is great interest in defining SMM using administrative data for surveillance and research. In the United States, one common way of defining SMM at the population level is an index developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Modifications to this index (e.g., exclusion of maternal blood transfusion) have been proposed; some research defines SMM using an index introduced by Bateman et al. (Obstet Gynecol. 2013;122(5):957-965). Birth certificate data are also increasingly being used to define SMM. We compared commonly used US definitions of SMM among all California births (2007-2012) using the kappa (κ) statistic and other measures. We also evaluated agreement between maternal morbidity fields on the birth certificate as compared with health insurance claims data. Concordance between the 7 definitions of SMM analyzed was generally low (i.e., κ < 0.41 for 13 of 21 two-way comparisons). Low concordance was particularly driven by the presence/absence of transfusion and claims data versus birth certificate definitions. Low agreement between administrative data-based definitions of SMM highlights that results can be expected to differ between them. Further research on validity of SMM definitions, using more fine-grained data sources, is needed.

Interpregnancy Interval and Subsequent Severe Maternal Morbidity: A 16-Year Population-Based Study From California.

Interpregnancy interval (IPI) is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes, but its contribution to severe maternal morbidity (SMM) remains unclear. We examined the association between IPI and SMM, using data linked across sequential pregnancies to women in California during 1997-2012. Adjusting for confounders measured in the index pregnancy (i.e., the first in a pair of consecutive pregnancies), we estimated adjusted risk ratios for SMM related to the subsequent pregnancy. We further conducted within-mother comparisons and analyses stratified by parity and maternal age at the index pregnancy. Compared with an IPI of 18-23 months, an IPI of <6 months had the same risk for SMM in between-mother comparisons (adjusted risk ratio (aRR) = 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.91, 1.02) but lower risk in within-mother comparisons (aRR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67, 0.86). IPIs of 24-59 months and ≥60 months were associated with increased risk of SMM in both between-mother (aRR = 1.18 (95% CI: 1.13, 1.23) and aRR = 1.76 (95% CI: 1.68, 1.85), respectively) and within-mother (aRR = 1.22 (95% CI: 1.11, 1.34) and aRR = 1.88 (95% CI: 1.66, 2.13), respectively) comparisons. The association between IPI and SMM did not vary substantially by maternal age or parity. In this study, longer IPI was associated with increased risk of SMM, which may be partly attributed to interpregnancy health.

Recurrence of severe maternal morbidity: A population-based cohort analysis of California women.

BACKGROUND: Severe maternal morbidity (SMM) has increased in the United States by 45% in the last decade. While the recurrence of several adverse pregnancy outcomes from one pregnancy to the next has been established, the recurrence risk of SMM is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether women who have SMM in a first pregnancy are at increased risk of SMM in their second pregnancy, compared to women who did not have SMM in their first pregnancy. METHODS: This is a population-based study using linked vital statistics and hospital discharge records from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development in California from 1997 to 2012. The study population had their first two singleton births (live births or stillbirths) in California between 1997 and 2012 (n = 1 180 357). The primary exposure was SMM during the hospitalisation at first birth, and the primary outcome was SMM during the hospitalisation at second birth. Prevalence and risk ratios of SMM at second birth were computed for women who did and did not have SMM at first birth, as well as for certain specific indicators of SMM. RESULTS: Of the 1 180 357 women included in this analysis, 9088 (77 per 10 000 births) experienced SMM at first birth. Among these women, the prevalence of SMM at second birth was 470 per 10 000 births, compared to 68 per 10 000 births among women without SMM at first birth. This corresponded to an unadjusted risk ratio of 6.87 (95% CI 6.23, 7.57), which did not differ substantially when adjusted for factors known to be associated with SMM (6.42, 95% CI 5.86, 7.13). CONCLUSION: Women experiencing SMM in their first pregnancy were at an approximately sixfold increased risk of experiencing SMM in their second pregnancy.

Pre-pregnancy Obesity and the Risk of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the contribution of pre-pregnancy obesity and overweight to peripartum cardiomyopathy. STUDY DESIGN: This population-based study used linked birth record and maternal hospital discharge data from live births in California during 2007 to 2012 (n = 2,548,380). All women who had a diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy during the childbirth hospitalization or who were diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy during a postpartum hospital readmission within 5 months of birth were identified as cases. Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) was classified as normal weight (18.5-24.9), overweight (25.0-29.9), obesity class 1 (30.0-34.9), obesity class 2 (35.0-39.9), and obesity class 3 (≥40). Because of small numbers, we excluded women with underweight BMI, and in some analyses, we combined obesity classes into one group. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) expressing associations between BMI and peripartum cardiomyopathy, adjusted for maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, health care payer, parity, plurality, and comorbidities. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of peripartum cardiomyopathy during hospital admissions was 1.3 per 10,000 live births (n = 320). Unadjusted ORs were 1.32 (95% CI: 1.01-1.74) for women with overweight BMI and 2.03 (95% CI: 1.57-2.62) for women with obesity, compared with women with normal pre-pregnancy BMI. Adjusted ORs were 1.26 (95% CI: 0.95-1.66) for overweight women and 1.38 (95% CI: 1.04-1.84) for women with obesity. The ORs suggested a dose-response relationship with increasing levels of obesity, but the 95% CIs for the specific classes of obesity included 1.00. CONCLUSION: Pre-pregnancy obesity was associated with an increased risk of peripartum cardiomyopathy. These findings underscore the importance of BMI during pregnancy. There is a need to recognize the increased risk of peripartum cardiomyopathy in women with high BMI, especially in the late postpartum period. KEY POINTS: · Pre-pregnancy obesity affects maternal health.. · Effects may extend to peripartum cardiomyopathy.. · The risk includes peripartum cardiomyopathy that emerges postpartum..

Managing the tension between caring and charting: Labor and delivery nurses' experiences of the electronic health record.

Over a decade following the nationwide push to implement electronic health records (EHRs), the focus has shifted to addressing the cognitive burden associated with their use. Most research and discourse about the EHR's impact on clinicians' cognitive work has focused on physicians rather than on nursing-specific issues. Labor and delivery nurses may encounter unique challenges when using EHRs because they also interact with an electronic fetal monitoring system, continuously managing and synthesizing both maternal and fetal data. This grounded theory study explored labor and delivery nurses' perceptions of the EHR's impact on their cognitive work. Data were individual interviews and participant observations with twenty-one nurses from two labor and delivery units in the western U.S. and were analyzed using dimensional analysis. Nurses managed the tension between caring and charting using various strategies to integrate the EHR into their dynamic, high-acuity, specialty practice environment while using EHRs that were not designed for perinatal patients. Use of the EHR and associated technologies disrupted nurses' ability to locate and synthesize information, maintain an overview of the patient's status, and connect with patients and families. Individual-, group-, and environmental-level factors facilitated or constrained nurses' integration of the EHR. These findings represent critical safety failures requiring comprehensive changes to EHR designs and better processes for responding to end-user experiences. More research is needed to develop EHRs that support the dynamic and relationship-based nature of nurses' work and to align with specialty practice environments.

Providers' perceptions of communication and women's autonomy during childbirth: a mixed methods study in Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Effective communication and respect for women's autonomy are critical components of person-centered care. Yet, there is limited evidence in low-resource settings on providers' perceptions of the importance and extent of communication and women's autonomy during childbirth. Similarly, few studies have assessed the potential barriers to effective communication and maintenance of women's autonomy during childbirth. We sought to bridge these gaps. METHODS: Data are from a mixed-methods study in Migori County in Western Kenya with 49 maternity providers (32 clinical and 17 non-clinical). Providers were asked structured questions on various aspects of communication and autonomy followed by open ended questions on why certain practices were performed or not. We conducted descriptive analysis of the quantitative data and thematic analysis of the qualitative data. RESULTS: Despite acknowledging the importance of various aspects of communication and women's autonomy, providers reported incidences of poor communication and lack of respect for women's autonomy: 57% of respondents reported that providers never introduce themselves to women and 38% reported that women are never able to be in the birthing position of their choice. Also, 33% of providers reported that they did not always explain why they are doing exams or procedures and 73% reported that women were not always asked for permission before exams or procedures. The reasons for lack of communication and autonomy fall under three themes with several sub-themes: (1) work environment-perceived lack of time, language barriers, stress and burnout, and facility culture; (2) provider knowledge, intentions, and assumptions-inadequate provider knowledge and skill, forgetfulness and unconscious behaviors, self-protection and comfort, and assumptions about women's knowledge and expectations; and (3) women's ability to demand or command effective communication and respect for their autonomy-women's lack of participation, women's empowerment and provider bias. CONCLUSIONS: Most providers recognize the importance of various aspects of communication and women's autonomy, but they fail to provide it for various reasons. To improve communication and autonomy, we need to address the different factors that negatively affect providers' interactions with women.

Nursing Surveillance for Deterioration in Pediatric Patients: An Integrative Review.

PROBLEM: Adverse events occur in up to 19% of pediatric hospitalized patients, often associated with delays in recognition or treatment. While early detection is recognized as a primary determinant of recovery from deterioration, most research has focused on profiling patient risk and testing interventions, and less on factors that impact surveillance efficacy. This integrative review explored actions and factors that influence the quality of pediatric nursing surveillance. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Original research on nursing surveillance, escalation of care, or cardiopulmonary deterioration in hospitalized pediatric patients in non-critical environments, published in English in peer reviewed journals. SAMPLE: Twenty-four studies from a literature search within the databases of CINAHL, PubMed, and Web of Science were evaluated and synthesized using a socio-technical systems theory framework. Study quality was assessed using The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. RESULTS: Assessment, documentation, decision-making, intervening and communicating were identified as activities associated with surveillance of deterioration. Factors that influenced nurses' detection of deterioration were patient acuity, nurse education, experience, expertise and confidence, staffing, standardized assessment and communication tools, availability of emergency services, team composition and opportunities for multidisciplinary care planning. CONCLUSIONS: Research provides insight into some aspects of nursing surveillance but does not adequately explore factors that affect clinical data interpretation and synthesis, and role integration between nurse and parents, and nurse and other clinicians on surveillance of clinical stability. IMPLICATIONS: Research is needed to enhance understanding of the contextual factors that impact nursing surveillance to inform intervention design to support nurses' timely recognition and mitigation of clinical deterioration.

Failure to Rescue, Communication, and Safety Culture.

Failure to rescue refers to the inability to prevent death from health care complications. The fact that more than half of severe maternal morbidity and maternal deaths are classified as preventable, and black women have 2 to 3 times the risk for adjusted severe morbidity and maternal mortality suggest there is a problem with failure to rescue in US maternity care. This article reviews national efforts to improve rescue capacity in maternity care and data on communication breakdowns and disrespect in maternity care, and outlines individual and organizational actions that can be taken to improve communication and rescue processes.

False Alarms and Overmonitoring: Major Factors in Alarm Fatigue Among Labor Nurses.

BACKGROUND: Nurses can be exposed to hundreds of alarms during their shift, contributing to alarm fatigue. PURPOSE: The purposes were to explore similarities and differences in perceptions of clinical alarms by labor nurses caring for generally healthy women compared with perceptions of adult intensive care unit (ICU) and neonatal ICU nurses caring for critically ill patients and to seek nurses' suggestions for potential improvements. METHODS: Nurses were asked via focus groups about the utility of clinical alarms from medical devices. RESULTS: There was consensus that false alarms and too many devices generating alarms contributed to alarm fatigue, and most alarms lacked clinical relevance. Nurses identified certain types of alarms that they responded to immediately, but the vast majority of the alarms did not contribute to their clinical assessment or planned nursing care. CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring only those patients who need it and only those physiologic values that are warranted, based on patient condition, may decrease alarm burden.

Infant Feeding Decision-Making and the Influences of Social Support Persons Among First-Time African American Mothers.

Background While breast milk is considered the gold standard of infant feeding, a majority of African American mothers are not exclusively breastfeeding their newborn infants. Objective The overall goal of this critical ethnographic research study was to describe infant feeding perceptions and experiences of African American mothers and their support persons. Methods Twenty-two participants (14 pregnant women and eight support persons) were recruited from public health programs and community based organizations in northern California. Data were collected through field observations, demographic questionnaires, and multiple in-person interviews. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes. Results Half of the mothers noted an intention to exclusively breastfeed during the antepartum period. However, few mothers exclusively breastfed during the postpartum period. Many participants expressed guilt and shame for not being able to accomplish their antepartum goals. Life experiences and stressors, lack of breastfeeding role models, limited experiences with breastfeeding and lactation, and changes to the family dynamic played a major role in the infant feeding decision making process and breastfeeding duration. Conclusions for Practice Our observations suggest that while exclusivity goals were not being met, a considerable proportion of African American women were breastfeeding. Future interventions geared towards this population should include social media interventions, messaging around combination feeding, and increased education for identified social support persons. Public health measures aimed at reducing the current infant feeding inequities would benefit by also incorporating more culturally inclusive messaging around breastfeeding and lactation.

What makes or mars the facility-based childbirth experience: thematic analysis of women's childbirth experiences in western Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for approximately 66% of global maternal deaths. Poor person-centered maternity care, which emphasizes the quality of patient experience, contributes both directly and indirectly to these poor outcomes. Yet, few studies in low resource settings have examined what is important to women during childbirth from their perspective. The aim of this study is to examine women's facility-based childbirth experiences in a rural county in Kenya, to identify aspects of care that contribute to a positive or negative birth experience. METHODS: Data are from eight focus group discussions conducted in a rural county in western Kenya in October and November 2016, with 58 mothers aged 15 to 49 years who gave birth in the preceding nine weeks. We recorded and transcribed the discussions and used a thematic approach for data analysis. RESULTS: The findings suggest four factors influence women's perceptions of quality of care: responsiveness, supportive care, dignified care, and effective communication. Women had a positive experience when they were received well at the health facility, treated with kindness and respect, and given sufficient information about their care. The reverse led to a negative experience. These experiences were influenced by the behavior of both clinical and support staff and the facility environment. CONCLUSIONS: This study extends the literature on person-centered maternity care in low resource settings. To improve person-centered maternity care, interventions need to address the responsiveness of health facilities, ensure women receive supportive and dignified care, and promote effective patient-provider communication.

Consequences of Delayed, Unfinished, or Missed Nursing Care During Labor and Birth.

: The purpose of this study was to examine the concept of delayed, unfinished, or missed nursing care when patient census and acuity exceed nurse staffing resources with nurses who care for women during labor and birth. Focus groups were held during which labor nurses were asked about aspects of nursing care that may be regularly delayed, unfinished, or completely missed during labor and birth, including possible reasons and potential consequences. Seventy-one labor nurses participated in 11 focus groups in 6 hospitals. Nurses focused on support and encouragement as aspects of care that they felt are essential but often not able to be performed when the unit is busy. Nurses seemed to assume technical features of care as a "given" in the background and not always noticed unless missed. They voiced concerns about risks to maternal and fetal well-being when they were short-staffed. Potential outcomes were discussed including cesarean birth, depressed infants at birth, hemorrhage, and negative effects on patient satisfaction, successful breast-feeding, and the overall patient experience. CONCLUSION: When essential aspects of nursing care are delayed, unfinished, or completely missed, there are potentially negative implications for numerous patient outcomes and patient safety is at risk.