Significant registered nurse workforce shortages throughout the country have only increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many hospitals are experiencing challenges on their labor and delivery units due to the nursing shortfall.

Nursing continues to be the most trusted profession in the country, according to Gallup’s recently released annual poll. The poll is reassurance that the country needs and respects nurses now more than ever. Yet, nursing shortages are the biggest safety risk for patients in labor and delivery units, according to our national Future of Obstetrics survey of obstetricians.

With the challenges caused by the nursing shortage, it is even more imperative that hospitals are positioned to provide the best possible maternal care. Outsourced OB hospitalist programs can mitigate staffing challenges; in addition to supporting nurses who are often asked to make decisions beyond their scope, OB hospitalists provide collaborative clinical support for community OBs.

Ob Hospitalist Group’s (OBHG) model is based around multidisciplinary teams that work collaboratively toward a culture of safety and success and optimize the use of clinical resources. OBHG clinicians are key leaders at our 200+ partner hospitals, participating in daily board rounds, leading drills on the unit, and providing consistent support and real-time training to nursing staff. Our clinicians’ presence on the unit has helped to reduce nursing staff turnover at many of our hospital partners. This active partnership with nursing staff helps nurses practice within the scope of their license and reduces burnout.

Here are some of the ways OBHG clinicians are supporting nurses at our partner hospitals:

• Forming close partnerships with hospital staff, especially nursing, to effectively provide support, education and manage multiple patients simultaneously – this interaction enables hospitals to attract, train and retain a strong team
• Reducing “scope creep” pressure on nurses – decreasing burnout and turnover
• Leading well-coordinated multidisciplinary teams – resulting in increased consistency and consensus and leading to a reduction in preventable errors across the unit
• Collaboratively providing on-site support and back-up for community physicians – relieving nurses of pressures and duties
• Establishing nationally endorsed clinical protocols (e.g., post-partum hypertension, hemorrhage) across the unit – reducing serious harm events and supporting nurses through best practice education
• Implementing Obstetric Emergency Departments (OBED) – to improve standardization of care, reduce serious harm events and relieve nurses of their triage duties
• Enabling nurses to improve patient satisfaction – due to their own satisfaction and ability to practice within the scope of their license

Some comments from our hospital partners: 

“The OBHG program has been extremely valuable with recruiting and retaining experienced labor and delivery nurses. I am very pleased with the quality, responsiveness, care and compassion shown by each of the OBHG physicians. This program has helped our hospital provide higher quality care.”

 “From a nursing perspective, I am very satisfied with the quality and promptness of care the OB hospitalist physicians offer our patients. Every time I talk to one of the clinicians at our hospital, they always give careful consideration to what I present and ensure the patients are very well cared for.”

Ready to learn more?

Would you like to learn more about how we are helping hospitals support nurses through the labor shortage? Contact us and we’ll share how we are helping hospitals implement a consistent standard of care that helps to increase patient safety.