Simpson KR, Knox GE. Common areas of litigation related to care during labor and birth: Recommendations to promote patient safety and decrease risk exposure. Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing. 2003;17(2):110-125.

This article recommends following two basic tenets of health care as a means to avoid exposure to litigation in perinatal care.  The authors contend that if clinicians use applicable evidence and/or published standards and guidelines as the foundation for care and whenever a clinical choice is presented, and choose patient safety rather than production, they can virtually eliminate the risk of perinatal liability.

Fox M, Kilpatrick S, King T, Parer JT. Fetal heart rate monitoring: Interpretation and collaborative management. Journal of Midwifery and Womens Health. 2000;45(6):498-507.

This article reviews the literature on fetal heart rate monitoring and includes a discussion of the advantages and limitations of different monitoring modalities.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement. IHI Innovation Series white paper. Improving the Reliability of Health Care. Boston, Massachusetts: Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 2004.

IHI Innovation Series white paper

This white paper describes principles and strategies used successfully in other industries to help evaluate, calculate, and improve the overall reliability of complex systems, and explains the application of reliability principles to health care.

Full text available! Click view white paper below.