Implementation of Intermittent Auscultation in a Community Hospital

Abstract

The Longs Peak Hospital Birth Center is a low-risk birthing unit supported by obstetricians and midwives. When this hospital started, the team experienced nurses who came from numerous facilities and had different experiences with intermittent auscultation (IA). Our goal was to provide the safest care for our patients by following AWHONN IA guidelines 100% of the time. There was a clear need for education and standardization of IA care among nurses and providers. We first created an online survey for providers and nurses. We presented survey results to staff and educated them on AWHONN and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines for IA. An IA Champion Team was formed to promote and evaluate IA. Competency forms were completed by staff and the Champion Team. IA statistics were collected and we re-evaluated staff comfort and knowledge with another online survey. We continued education for staff and reached our goal of 99% IA use in qualifying patients. This way of standardizing how nurses and providers see and perform IA worked well for our community hospital. Making this a standard of care, through surveys, education, competencies, and statistic collection, has helped nurses and physicians provide evidence-based care.