A Qualitative Study of Systems-Level Factors That Affect Rural Obstetric Nurses’ Work During Clinical Emergencies (13 December 2023)

Summary

Maternal morbidity and mortality is rising in the United States. Previous studies focus on patient attributes, and most of the national data are based on research performed at urban tertiary care centers. Although it is well understood that nurses affect patient outcomes, there is scant evidence to understand the nurse work system, and no studies have specifically studied rural nurses. The authors of this paper, published in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, sought to understand the systems-level factors affecting rural obstetric nurses when their patients experience clinical deterioration.