obosoon

If you can get into the Cochrane library, they have reviews of the literature. If there is something there on your subject, it is usually the best of the best. For future EBP subjects, check back with Joanna Briggs. They are also a wealth of knowledge.

I've been in a leader role in OB for longer than I like to admit and have known several nurses who are so overwelmed in the first week that I worry whether they will come back for another. We have a small unit that has antepartum, L & D, postpartum and nursery all in one. The nurses are expected to work independently and must be competent in all areas. We have a long orientation process that is at least 6 months long then the new nurse works closely with another nurse like a mentoring program for as long as they need it. They are not 100% alone for labors until our providers and I are comfortable with their skills and critical thinking. This whole process may take over a year. We are fortunate though to have CNM's present for most active labors which provides reinforcemet for the new nurse.

Ditto from above except ours are usually continuous epidurals. Although we have the capabilities of a PCEA system, we seldom use them in OB. The anesthesiologist/CRNA will usually start with a bolus then attach the continuous solution. Good Luck!

Does your hospital supply scrubs for the OB department and do you know of any EB guidelines out there that support the position of hospital supplied scrubs or personal supplied scrubs? We are going to a universal dress code by position and the hospital will no longer be providing scrubs to OB which to me is an infection control issue. Hospitals around my area are split on this issue and I would be interested to know what other hospitals do and why.

I am looking at purchasing one of these systems for our small OB dept. and wanted some feedback including pro's and con's of both systems. Both seem comparable in quality, but I would like to here from nurses that have worked with both systems. Please help!

We have one of the original programs of OBTV and use it primarily for surveillance due to no back-up optical disk and the hospital has not kept up the updates. At first the system would crash frequently, but after the first 1-2 years, other than the system getting old, it rarely has problems. We are currently looking at updating our current system to allow full charting and compliance with JCAHO standards. Traceview is making changes to reflect the AWHONN changes recently put into place, but according to the rep this may still take awhile. We are torn between the QS sytem and updating the Traceview. Both have their pro's and con's and it may come down to the cost. If you are familiar with the pro's and con's of these two systems, or have worked with both systems, help would be appreciated. As far as paper strips go, a recent survey from MHA, our ins. provider, they are recommending that paper strips continue. I heard that the OBTV is not a perfect match to paper strips like the QS system, and admit the strip often looks much different than the computer strip with our current system.

Working with students for many years in OB, I don't know who gets more excited, the students or the nurses watching the students experience their first birth. I'm sure you will love every minute.