Journal of Reproductive Health and Contraception

Abstract

The Childbirth Center at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA is a busy unit with 1864 births in 2016. Most women labor and delivery spontaneously, but for some an induction of labor is required for either a medical indication or because they are past their due dates. Between July-December 2016, 79% of our 91 inductions of labor were delayed. The average length of time from admission until the start of the induction was 217 minutes. The purpose of the process improvement project is to develop a best practice process to increase patient and family satisfaction. This project is being piloted on 1 unit with the potential to effect 6 hospitals within the Geisinger Health System. During the months of February and March 2017, inductions of labor will be scheduled to arrive at 7 pm instead of 7 am. Results will be presented with monthly data reports to show time improvement during the trial. The data will compare the percentage of inductions of labor that were delayed before the evening induction trial with the percentage of delayed inductions of labor during the evening trial. The goals of this project are to improve the experience of the patient and their families by decreasing the incidence of delayed inductions of labor as well as decreasing the time from admission to the start of the induction. Changing the time of admission for inductions of labor help to better utilize all staff members including obstetrics, pediatrics, and nursing; optimizing safety for the patients.