Paul et al (2013) states that its goal is to evaluate labor progression, fetal wellbeing and other obstetric problems. They then discuss the similarity of staffing that obstetric triage shares with emergency departments. Sharing of staff with the labor and delivery departments can cause wait times and increase the delay in assessment and or treatment. (Paul et al., pp 176, 2013) Fort Sanders handles their obstetric triage as a part of Labor and Delivery from the way it was explained to …show more content…
“A collaborative, interprofessional, obstetric triage model between midwives, nurses, and physicians allows for more efficient use of individual providers’ expertise. This model frees up the physician for higher acuity patients and allows the CNM/CM the opportunity to practice to the full extent of her/his scope of practice.”(Paul et al., pp 180, 2013). By adequately staffing and using a diverse team with differing skills provides hospitals a unique opportunity to provide better care by using qualified staff’s capabilities and talents to meet the needs of their patients. Not all pregnancies are high risk and thus do not all need to be evaluated by a physician for every triage visit. Often the registered nurse’s assessment skills play a very important role in the care of the pregnant woman especially during the triage visit. The CNM is an advanced practice nurse. As a nurse they have developed their clinical skills including assessment, and holistic care including psychosocial support. (Paul et al., pp 180., 2013) Paul et al (2013) discusses how quicker patient care times increase the likelihood of giving better outcomes. They also point out how this could theoretically increase income to the hospital due to the increase in patients seen per day. They state that the next study should address more of the billing and coding aspects