Posted on Wednesday, August 09, 2006
“National Expert to Speak on Electronic Fetal Monitoring at Sacred Heart”
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Sacred Heart Women’s and Children’s Hospital will host an educational program Aug. 14-15 on Electronic Fetal Monitoring by nationally recognized perinatal safety expert, Michael Fox.
Fox is project director for the Perinatal Resource Group at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco, Calif. The program is part of Ascension Health’s safety program dedicated to decreasing preventable birth trauma and infant mortality.
The goal of the seminar is increase perinatal safety by enhancing the communication between obstetrical nurses and physicians by training them side-by-side in a universal method for reading electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) data.
Classes will be held at Sacred Heart Hospital’s Ninth Avenue campus in the Greenhut Auditorium. Participants can choose from two half day session on Aug. 14 from 8 a.m. to noon or 4 to 8 p.m. A full day session on is also offered on Aug. 15 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for those interested in more in-depth EFM training.
Registration is open to all Sacred Heart employees in obstetrical fields and all obstetricians and staff with privileges at Sacred Heart Women’s Hospital. Continuing Education Credits are available. A continental breakfast will be provided both days, with light snacks available at the Aug. 14 session and lunch provided during the Aug. 15 session.
To register, please call the Sacred Heart Education Department at (850) 416-7264. For information, please contact Linda Fricke at (850) 416-4275.
Electronic fetal monitoring is a method for examining the condition of a baby in the uterus by noting any unusual changes in its heart rate. The fetal monitor records an unborn baby's heart rate and uterine contractions and then graphs it on a strip of paper. This paper strip is used to determine how a baby is handling the stress of contractions.
According to an article published in the Wall Street Journal, one of the biggest communication challenges between nurses and doctors is that they each have their own set of guidelines established by their respective professional organizations to read fetal heart monitors. This can cause a communication gap between the doctors and nurses, which could lead to misdiagnosis and increased liability for hospitals.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development created a universal set of guidelines for reading EFM strips eight years ago, but doctors and nurses often fall back on habits in which they were trained.
Sacred Heart Women’s Hospital is the area’s childbirth leader, with over 3,000 births each year. As the only Women's Hospital in Northwest Florida, Sacred Heart also is the region's leading provider of women's services including specialized care for women with high-risk pregnancies, breast cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, gynecologic cancer and more.
For more information about Sacred Heart, please call (850) 416-7000 or visit our website at www.sacred-heart.org.
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