EFM Case Study #9: Verbal Communication, Part 2

Course overview

Miscommunication is a primary root cause of perinatal injury and death, as well as, malpractice claims. Current evidence links miscommunication to 56% of sentinel events and contributes to EFM communication errors. Since 2005, national professional and patient safety organizations endorse and support the use of standardized EFM terminology in an effort to limit EFM communication errors. Unfortunately, universal adoption in clinical practice remains to be seen. A key component to miscommunication of EFM data is the inconsistent or improper use of the NICHD terms and guidelines, 3-Tier FHR Category System, and the current ACOG intrapartum management algorithms. This activity is part two of a two-part series that outlines various verbal communication errors using EFM case studies to improve EFM communication.