Unit-Based Nurses' Development of a Couplet Care Acuity Scoring Tool.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate content validity (CV) and interrater reliability (IRR) of an acuity scoring tool developed for the couplet care/postpartum/nursery patient population and to determine if there was agreement between supervisor or director scoring and staff scoring. DESIGN: A scoring tool to assess the acuity of the couplet care/postpartum/nursery patients was developed. SETTING: Two hospitals: one Level 2 hospital, one Level 3 hospital. Unit-based patient care councils participated in the development, and all couplet care nurses participated in scoring patients for testing. MEASUREMENTS: The final tool was evaluated for CV and IRR using expert review, universal agreement scores, and discriminant content validation. RESULTS: Regarding CV for the Couplet Care Acuity Scoring Tool, the average of the number of experts in agreement divided by the total number of experts across all items was 1.00. Regarding IRR, the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.85, indicating that the tool is valid and reliable for the study sample. CONCLUSION: The tool was reliable and valid in this study. Future testing is needed with larger samples and different health care facilities.

Acuity Tools for the Antepartum and Neonatal Intensive Care Units.

PURPOSE: To evaluate content validity and interrater reliability for acuity tools developed for the antepartum and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patient population. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Antepartum and NICU acuity tools were developed to better evaluate nurse staffing assignment equity and patient needs. Following several iterations with staff nurses and nurse leaders, content validity of the acuity tools was established via a panel of experts in each substantive area using the Content Validity Index. The final tools were then evaluated for interrater reliability using Intraclass Correlation. RESULTS: Content validity for the Antepartum Acuity Tool was S-CVI/Ave = 0.87 and for the NICU Acuity Tool was S-CVI/Ave = 0.98. Interrater Reliability for the Antepartum Acuity tool was ICC = 0.88, and the NICU Acuity Tool was ICC = 0.95. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: These tools have established content validity and interrater reliability and are appropriate for use in the antepartum and NICU settings to determine patient acuity and promote appropriate nurse-to-patient assignments.

AWHONN Members' Recommendations on What to Include in Updated Standards for Professional Registered Nurse Staffing for Perinatal Units.

OBJECTIVE: To solicit advice from members of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) on what to include in an update of nurse staffing standards. DESIGN: Online, single-question survey with thematic analysis of responses. SETTING: Electronic survey link sent via e-mail. PARTICIPANTS: AWHONN members who shared their e-mail with the association and who responded to the survey (n = 1,813). MEASURES: Participants were asked to answer this single question: "The AWHONN (2010) Guidelines for Professional Registered Nurse Staffing for Perinatal Units are being updated. During their initial development, feedback from nearly 900 AWHONN members was extremely helpful in providing specific details for the nurse staffing guidelines. We'd really like to hear from you again. Please give the writing team your input. What should AWHONN consider when updating the AWHONN nurse staffing guidelines?" RESULTS: The e-mail was successfully delivered to 20,463 members; 8,050 opened the e-mail, and 3,050 opened the link to the survey. There were 1,892 responses. After removing duplicate and blank responses, 1,813 responses were available for analysis. They represented all hospital practice settings for maternity and newborn care and included nurses from small-volume and rural hospitals. Primary concerns of respondents centered on two aspects of patient acuity-the increasing complexity of clinical cases and the need to link nurse staffing standards to patient acuity. Other themes included maintaining current nurse-to-patient ratios, needing help with implementation in the context of economic challenges, and changing wording from "guidelines" to "standards" to promote widespread adoption. CONCLUSION: In a single-question survey, AWHONN members offered rich, detailed recommendations that were used in the updating of the AWHONN nurse staffing standards.

Recognition and Management of Sepsis in the Obstetric Patient.

Sepsis is one of the principal causes of maternal mortality in obstetrics. Physiologic changes that occur during pregnancy create a vulnerable environment, predisposing pregnant patients to the development of sepsis. Furthermore, these changes can mask sepsis indicators normally seen in the nonobstetric population, making it difficult to recognize and treat sepsis in a timely manner. The use of maternal-specific early warning tools for sepsis identification and knowledge of appropriate interventions and their effects on the mother and fetus can help clinicians obtain the best patient outcomes in acute care settings. This article outlines the signs and symptoms of sepsis in obstetric patients and discusses treatment options used in critical care settings.

Sepsis in Obstetrics: Pathophysiology and Diagnostic Definitions.

In spite of many medical breakthroughs, sepsis continues to be challenging to identify, treat, and successfully resolve, including among the obstetric population. Sepsis is the result of an overactive, complex inflammatory response that is not completely understood. Currently there are no nationally agreed-upon criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome or sepsis in pregnant or peripartum women, as the physiologic changes of pregnancy have not been taken into consideration.This article is the first in a series of three that discuss the importance of sepsis and septic shock in pregnancy. The focus of this article is to understand the proposed pathophysiology of sepsis and new definitions associated with sepsis and septic shock. Knowledge of these conditions can assist in better identification of sepsis in the obstetric population.

Sepsis in Obstetrics: Clinical Features and Early Warning Tools.

Morbidity and mortality associated with sepsis has gained widespread attention on a local, state, and national level, yet, it remains a complicated disorder that can be difficult to identify in a timely manner. Sepsis in obstetric patients further complicates the diagnosis as alterations in physiology related to pregnancy can mask sepsis indicators normally seen in the general population. If early signs of sepsis go unrecognized, septic shock can develop, leading to organ dysfunction and potential death. Maternal early warning tools have been designed to assist clinicians in recognizing early indications of illness. Through use of clinical pathway-specific tools, disease processes may be detected early, subsequently benefitting patients with aggressive treatment management and intervention.This article is the second in a series of three that discuss the importance of sepsis and septic shock in pregnancy. Risk factors, causes of sepsis, signs and symptoms, and maternal early warning tools are discussed.

Randomized Controlled Trial of Use of the Peanut Ball During Labor.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of peanut ball use on duration of first stage labor and pushing time in women who were scheduled for elective induction of labor at ≥39 weeks gestation and planning an epidural. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, women having labor induction and planning a labor epidural were assigned (1:1) to one of two groups: one group used a peanut ball and one group did not. Outcome variables were time spent in first stage labor and time spent pushing. Factors included group assignment (peanut ball, no peanut ball), parity (primiparous, multiparous), and race. Age and maximum oxytocin dose served as covariates. RESULTS: Among women having elective induction with epidural analgesia, use of a peanut ball reduced first stage labor duration for primiparous patients significantly more than multiparous patients, p = 0.018. There was no significant difference in the reduction of length of first stage labor for multiparous women, p = 0.057 with use of the peanut ball. Peanut ball use did not alter length of pushing time for either group, p > 0.05. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Use of peanut balls may reduce total labor time to a greater degree in primiparous patients than multiparous patients having elective induction at ≥39 weeks with epidural analgesia.

Serotonin Syndrome in Pregnancy.

Millions of people take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for depression and anxiety, so nurses and other clinicians need to be aware of the potential for serotonin toxicity and serotonin syndrome. These conditions can occur when women taking SSRIs are given additional medications in the labor and birth or postpartum settings. Symptoms can have an acute onset and can include delirium, fever and hypertension. Understanding the mechanism and symptoms of serotonin syndrome can lead to timely treatment of this unusual condition.

Developing protocols for obstetric emergencies.

There is potential for important steps to be missed in emergency situations, even in the presence of many health care team members. Developing a clear plan of response for common emergencies can ensure that no tasks are redundant or omitted, and can create a more controlled environment that promotes positive health outcomes. A multidisciplinary team was assembled in a large community hospital to create protocols that would help ensure optimum care and continuity of practice in cases of postpartum hemorrhage, shoulder dystocia, emergency cesarean surgical birth, eclamptic seizure and maternal code. Assignment of team roles and responsibilities led to the evolution of standardized protocols for each emergency situation.