Postponing inductions/sections when really busy?

[Montessori Mommy]

I was wondering if any of your hospitals have a policy in place to use when your L & D unit is full. Do you have a protocol in place postpone non-emergent, scheduled inductions and/or c-sections?

The hospital where I work has been very busy lately. Laboring moms come in so fast we don't have rooms for them. This would be manageable if it weren't for the scheduled - often medically unecessary - inductions and sections. When we have a particularly busy day, I was thinking we should have a method to reschedule these patients. I know most MDs would never admit their procedures aren't medically necessary, and I realize that the hospital would never turn away a paying "customer", but days like this are unsafe!! The other large hospital in our area will divert patients to us, but we don't divert - ever.

Thanks!

[jenrninmi, MSN, RN]

The hospital where I worked did cancel elective inductions- just pushed them back 12 to 24 hours usually. Not so much the elective c/s due to booking the OR ect. Some of the moms got a little annoyed, but its better than delivering the the triage right?

Same here.

[ldcmw1]

Wow, I feel so much better after reading this post! Same thing happens at my hospital. The charge nurse is always in the uncomfortable position of telling the patient that they have to leave and either come back later that day or the next day. Then we get flack from the ob's and patient. We aren't backed up by our manager either! She will try and push things to the limit and would rather have the unit unsafe then upset the doc's or patient.