STORC safety initiative: a multicentre survey on preparedness & confidence in obstetric emergencies.

Background: Patient safety is a national and international priority. The purpose of this study was to understand clinicians' perceptions of teamwork during obstetric emergencies in clinical practice, to examine factors associated with confidence in responding to obstetric emergencies and to evaluate perceptions about the value of team training to improve preparedness.

Methods: An anonymous survey was administered to all clinical staff members who respond to obstetric emergencies in seven Oregon hospitals from June 2006 to August 2006.

P.U.R.E. (purposeful, unambiguous, respectful, and effective) Conversations and electronic fetal monitoring: gaining consensus and collaboration.

A revised nomenclature regarding electronic fetal heart rate monitoring was accepted at a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development consensus conference in 2008. At the heart of patient safety are communication strategies that enhance teamwork and collaboration between health care professionals. Communications is a complex 2-way process that involves more than transfer of factual information.

Standardizing criteria for scheduling elective labor inductions.

Induction of labor has become routine practice in perinatal units across the United States, with rates reaching a high of 21.2% of births in 2003-2004. This article describes the process our institution used to standardize the criteria for scheduling inductions.

PURE conversations: enhancing communication and teamwork.

Communications failures have been identified as a significant cause of adverse outcomes in obstetrics. Following the lead of some high reliability organizations, healthcare has introduced structured communication such as SBAR as a way to make sure communications between professionals are direct, complete and effective. The authors have observed, however, that structured communication in healthcare often requires a cultural change in the way that professionals relate to each other; PURE conversations (Purposeful/prepared/productive, Unambiguous, Respectful and Effective) can facilitate this cultural shift.