NICHD and AWHONN fetal monitoring guidelines

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

I'm looking for up to date info on the guidelines from the NICHD regarding fhr moniotring, 3 previous hospitals I was at, had changed to the new guidelines. Referring to charting about the FHR. For example you refer to the baseline by 1 number not a range, there is no short-term variability. variability is absent,minimal,moderate or marked, etc.

The hospital I am at now, has not changed, and none of the nurses know what I'm talking about when I correct them, I tried to look online but couldnt' find anything.

thanks so much

0 Votes

The NICHD terminology is being included in AWHONN's Fetal Heart Monitoring class - so if you know one of the instructors for that class, they will have all the information. Or you can take the class online through AWHONN's website. The hospitals I have been at had refresher courses to go over the changes before implementing them into charting requirements. Maybe you should organize one?

0 Votes
Specializes in L&D.

We're having 3 1/2 hour inservices on the new terminology for EFM next month. A lot of us are dreading it, because it sounds like it's going to make us have to really change our thinking and interpretation of EFM strips. My big question is - when are they going to educate the MD's/CNM's about the changes???? Or are we (nurses) going to be arguing with the MD/CNM about the "new method" of interpreting EFM strips?

0 Votes
Specializes in Nurse Manager, Labor and Delivery.

NICHD is not something that just cropped up. ACOG and AWHONN both adopted the new nomenclature in 2005, with technical bulletins being published in both of their journals. The nomenclature itself has been around since 1997. As stated previously, all AWHONN monitoring classes teach the new terminology and by the end of 2007, all policies concerning FHM should be changed to the NICHD nomenclature. I have done oodles of classes on this with the AWHONN courses, and also did an inservice with our docs and midwives on the change. The practitioners looked none too happy about it all, until I gave them a copy of the ACOG practice bulletin. Then they kinda realized I wasn't just making this stuff up all by myself. As far as I am concerned, I did what I was supposed to do, I taught them the new stuff and they signed off that they were taught. If they don't use it, it is their problem. This is a standardization of language that is not negotiable in its use. If they choose not to, then they have liability issues.

The new language is not going to change how you look at things, it is going to simplify it. Now, I am not saying it is without some problems, but I think that having a standardized language will help in interpretation and communication.

0 Votes
Specializes in L&D.

I found a very comprehensive site put out by NCC regarding the nomenclature: http://www.nccnet.org/public/files/NICHDMonograph.pdf

I'm printing it up now as I type this, so I can start learning more about it, before we have our inservice on it at work.

0 Votes
The NICHD terminology is being included in AWHONN's Fetal Heart Monitoring class - so if you know one of the instructors for that class, they will have all the information. Or you can take the class online through AWHONN's website. The hospitals I have been at had refresher courses to go over the changes before implementing them into charting requirements. Maybe you should organize one?

Aye! I don't have the time or the desire to organize it, but if I can just produce the info to the manager maybe she will get on it.

I took the updated class just in June, but about a year prior to that, we had a seperate inservice regarding the new info, I'm just so surprised that noone here as even heard of it, THis is Stanford University, for goodness sakes! haha

0 Votes
We're having 3 1/2 hour inservices on the new terminology for EFM next month. A lot of us are dreading it, because it sounds like it's going to make us have to really change our thinking and interpretation of EFM strips. My big question is - when are they going to educate the MD's/CNM's about the changes???? Or are we (nurses) going to be arguing with the MD/CNM about the "new method" of interpreting EFM strips?

at our hospital, the physicians were inserviced as well, that's the point, so that everyone is speaking the same language, of course, the old time physicians, still think like back in the old days anyway, but honestly, its' NOT a new way of thinking or interpreting trips, it's just a few new ways of documenting, it's actually easier in my opinion

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment