Patient Safety | 01.22.20
With a Shortage of Obstetricians at Rural Hospitals, the Answer May Be: Call the Midwife
by NAMSS Staff
Minneapolis Star Tribune (01/18/20) Olson, Jeremy
According to a new Mayo Clinic study, midwives could save rural hospitals struggling with the challenge of being prepared round the clock to deliver babies. Under a system in which seven certified nurse midwives (CNMs) provided 24/7 staffing, Mayo's hospital in La Crosse, Wisconsin, recorded fewer surgical deliveries and birth complications requiring neonatal intensive care. These CNWs coordinated with obstetricians on prenatal care for expecting mothers and their baby deliveries. Dr. Gokhan Anil, a Mayo obstetrician and lead author of a report on the La Crosse experiment, says the new approach “was partly necessity and partly using each other’s strengths to care for patients."
Read the full article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune.