CLINICAL STUDIES: Experienced Obstetric Nurses’ Decision Making in Fetal Risk Situations

Vignette studies of medical choice and judgement to study caregivers' medical decision behaviour: systematic review

“…Ten studies (33 percent) aimed at describing decision preferences of specific groups of participants [ 20 , 24 , 26 , 27 , 29 , 30 , 32 , 38 , 43 , 44 ] and nine studies (30 percent) described decision preference differences between groups [ 18 , 25 , 28 , 31 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 40 , 41 ]. Three studies explored the consistency of decisions between groups of experts [ 15 , 23 , 45 ] and two studies examined change of preferences after an intervention [ 22 , 35 ].…”

“…The median number of attributes was 6.5 (inter quartile range IQR 4–9, range 2–15). In 20 studies (67%) the selection of attributes was based on information like the literature [ 17 , 20 , 27 , 28 , 31 , 32 , 34 , 35 , 37 , 40 , 43 , 45 ] (12 studies), expert opinion (7 studies) or guidelines (1 study). In five studies patient files [ 15 , 21 , 24 , 33 , 41 ] were used to construct the vignettes.…”

Continuous Electronic Fetal Monitoring: Contradictions Between Practice and Research

“…Despite the recommendations of these professional organizations for limitations, EFM use in the United States continues to increase and was reported as an obstetric procedure for 83% of all live births in 1996 (Ventura, Martin, Curtin, & Matthews, 1998). In a study of intrapartal decision making, Haggerty and Nuttall (1998) noted that nearly all of the 573 nurses randomly selected from across the United States indicated that EFM was used routinely in their institutions. In addition, 73% of the participants responded that in-service education related to EFM occurred annually or more frequently on their services.…”

“…A quantitative follow-up study (Haggerty & Nuttall, 1998) provided additional support for the significance of the clinical context in nurses' assessment of intrapartal fetal stress severity. The sample consisted of 573 randomly selected experienced intrapartal nurses from across the United States who were certified in impatient obstetric care by the National Certification Corporation.…”