Simpson KR. Measuring perinatal patient safety: Review of current methods. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing. 2006 May-June;35(3):432-442.

A balanced set of patient safety measures provides valuable and timely data and feedback to caregivers to guide efforts to improve perinatal patient safety. Methods to measure patient safety include structure, process and outcome measures, safety attitude and climate surveys, focus groups, storytelling, executive walk rounds, and external review.

Pryor DB, Tolchin SF, Hendrich A, Thomas CS, Tersigni AR. The clinical transformation of Ascension Health: Eliminating all preventable injuries and deaths. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. 2006 June;32(6):299-308.

In 2002 Ascension Health, a 67-hospital not-for-profit health care system, embarked on a journey of clinical transformation to eliminate preventable injuries or deaths. This transformational change implies a much greater pace of change than that reflected in traditional, incremental change processes. Their improvement activities focused on eight priorities for action: JCAHO National Patient Safety Goals; preventable mortality; adverse drug events; falls; pressure ulcers; surgical complications; nosocomial infections; and perinatal safety. [This article is the first in a series.]

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McCartney PR. Using technology to promote perinatal patient safety. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing. 2006 May-Jun;35(3):424-431.

This article includes key issues and recommendations for using information technology to promote patient safety, the most common applications relevant to perinatal care (including the electronic health record, decision support systems, and medication safety devices), and strategies for perinatal nurses.

Thorman KE, Capitulo KL, Dubow J, Hanold K, Noonan M, Wehmeyer J. Perinatal patient safety from the perspective of nurse executives: A round table discussion. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing. 2006 May-June;35(3):409-416.

Six nurse executives across the United States discussed the biggest issues they face related to perinatal patient safety: gaps in communication; the expectations of regulators and accreditors; the pressure for productivity with limited resources and staffing; and undercapitalized technology versus safety and staff competence. The perinatal patient safety initiatives implemented in each nurse's organization were also discussed.

Will SB, Hennicke KP, Jacobs LS, O'Neill LM, Raab CA. The perinatal patient safety nurse: A new role to promote safe care for mothers and babies. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing. 2006 May-Jun;35(3):417-423.

This article describes one professional liability company's initiative to promote safer perinatal care and decrease costs of medical malpractice claims, including the development of the perinatal patient safety nurse role whose primary responsibility is to keep patient safety as a focus of all unit operations and clinical practices.

Guise JM, Lowe NK. Do you speak SBAR? Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing. 2006 May-June;35(3):313-314.

This article describes the use of the SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation) technique in obstetrical and neonatal care to improve communication and teamwork among the care team.

Miller LA. System errors in intrapartum electronic fetal monitoring: A case review. Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health. 2005;50(6):507-516.

Intrapartum electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) interpretation and management continue to be a common issue in litigation involving adverse outcomes in term pregnancies. This article uses a case study approach to illustrate system errors related to intrapartum EFM.

Simpson KR. The context and clinical evidence for common nursing practices during labor. American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing. 2005;30(6):356-363.

This article reviews the context and current evidence for common nursing care practices during labor and birth. Although many nursing interventions during labor and birth are based on physician orders, there are a number of care processes that are mainly within the realm of nursing practice.

Cherouny PH, Federico FA, Haraden C, Leavitt Gullo S, Resar R. Idealized Design of Perinatal Care. IHI Innovation Series white paper. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 2005.

IHI Innovation Series white paper

Reviews of perinatal care have consistently pointed to failures in communication among the care team and documentation of care as common factors in adverse events that occur in labor and delivery. This white paper provides detail about IHI's Idealized Design process and examines some of the initial work of the Idealized Design of Perinatal Care innovation project.

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Simpson KR, James DC. Effects of immediate versus delayed pushing during second-stage labor on fetal well-being: A randomized clinical trial. Nursing Research. 2005;54(3):149-157.

This article describes a study whose objective was to evaluate effects on fetal well-being, as measured by fetal oxygen saturation, of two different methods of second-stage labor nursing care for women with epidural anesthesia.