Intravenous Administration of Oxytocin Under Nurse Supervision

Abstract

To the Editor.— During the past two years, management of parturients in the Stanford (Calif) University Hospital labor rooms has changed significantly. Prior to July 1969, intravenous oxytocin administration and examination of parturients were performed by staff physicians or obstetrics residents. Electronic fetal monitoring was seldom used. For the past year, obstetrics nurses generally have supervised intravenous administration of oxytocin and examined obstetrical patients. In 1969, 8% of the patients received oxytocin buccally, 2% intramuscularly given oxytocin, and 33% intravenously given oxytocin, of whom 86% were managed by physicians. During the last 12 months, in contrast, only 2% of the parturients received buccally given oxytocin, 0.5% intramuscularly given oxytocin, and 45% intravenously given oxytocin, of whom only 12% were managed even partially by obstetricians. Electronic fetal monitoring was used in 31% of the patients in labor. In addition to the reduced use of intrapartum oxytocin buccally and intramuscularly, the percentage