Every nurse on a labor and delivery unit sees first hand the practice
gaps that exist. Why not look at them closer? Why not be a patient
advocate? Why is it that we just follow the orders, in many cases without
questioning? If nurses, as a profession, desire to be seen as colleagues
and fellow scientists then we must take responsibility for our actions.
If we all know that the unneeded interventions in maternal child
health are increasing and the evidence suggests the opposite of our
protocols in any instance why are we not forming groups to look at this in
every hospital? When the doctor sends us an induction at 37 weeks for
"impending labor" why don't we scream...WHAT!! you can't be serious.
MD's still have tremendous political power within the workplace(
hospitals)and they are the revenue source for the hospitals. "Women",
they say, "are begging for inductions" and though this may be the
case..what are the OB's doing to teach the women that this isn't in their
best interest?
"We try to tell them" I have been told... "but they keep
asking...like a broken record. "This is consumer driven" I am told by
OB's. Well, you know if the OB didn't get anything out of the
interventions being performed on women routinely the rate of intervention
in low risk birth would decline. It is a conflict of interest for those
that benefit from the interventions either financially or by the
predictability in scheduling, or management of labor to be the ones
teaching the women or emphasizing the need to learn about labor
intervention risks and benefits.
The Association of Nurse Advocates for Childbirth Solutions (ANACS)
challenges nurses to find solutions to the practice gaps and to teach
women in every conversation you have with a childbearing age woman to
think about these issues. We believe nurses have a responsibility to
reach out to other nurses and talk about what is happening in childbirth
today. We believe women need to take more responsibility for what happens
to them by learning more about pregnancy and childbirth. Invest in the
process like they would a large financial purchase! The Thinking Woman’s
Guide to Better Birth by Henci Goer should be every woman’s first
purchase when contemplating or achieving pregnancy.
Rapid Response:
Nurses Stop Looking the Other Way
Every nurse on a labor and delivery unit sees first hand the practice
gaps that exist. Why not look at them closer? Why not be a patient
advocate? Why is it that we just follow the orders, in many cases without
questioning? If nurses, as a profession, desire to be seen as colleagues
and fellow scientists then we must take responsibility for our actions.
If we all know that the unneeded interventions in maternal child
health are increasing and the evidence suggests the opposite of our
protocols in any instance why are we not forming groups to look at this in
every hospital? When the doctor sends us an induction at 37 weeks for
"impending labor" why don't we scream...WHAT!! you can't be serious.
MD's still have tremendous political power within the workplace(
hospitals)and they are the revenue source for the hospitals. "Women",
they say, "are begging for inductions" and though this may be the
case..what are the OB's doing to teach the women that this isn't in their
best interest?
"We try to tell them" I have been told... "but they keep
asking...like a broken record. "This is consumer driven" I am told by
OB's. Well, you know if the OB didn't get anything out of the
interventions being performed on women routinely the rate of intervention
in low risk birth would decline. It is a conflict of interest for those
that benefit from the interventions either financially or by the
predictability in scheduling, or management of labor to be the ones
teaching the women or emphasizing the need to learn about labor
intervention risks and benefits.
The Association of Nurse Advocates for Childbirth Solutions (ANACS)
challenges nurses to find solutions to the practice gaps and to teach
women in every conversation you have with a childbearing age woman to
think about these issues. We believe nurses have a responsibility to
reach out to other nurses and talk about what is happening in childbirth
today. We believe women need to take more responsibility for what happens
to them by learning more about pregnancy and childbirth. Invest in the
process like they would a large financial purchase! The Thinking Woman’s
Guide to Better Birth by Henci Goer should be every woman’s first
purchase when contemplating or achieving pregnancy.
Competing interests: No competing interests