The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined efforts by hospital groups nationwide to make labor and delivery safer. There is "mounting" evidence that the "overuse" of labor-inducing drugs for preterm deliveries and other delivery-room practices are putting pregnant women and infants in danger, according to the Journal. According to research, preterm delivery is linked to a higher rate of emergency caesarean-sections, a higher rate of infant admissions to the neonatal intensive-care units because of respiratory distress and other complications and an increase in long-term health problems for children, the Journal reports. As a result, hospital groups are limiting the use of the hormone oxytocin, which often is used to induce labor or increase the frequency of contractions, because it can cause uterine ruptures, fetal distress and infant death when used in excessive doses. In addition, many hospital groups are adopting policies that restrict the use of forceps and vacuums, which can help move infants through the birth canal but also can lead to injuries, such as bone fractures and nerve damage. The new policies are "already changing the experience" of delivery in many hospitals, making it more difficult to schedule deliveries "on a convenient day" for the ob-gyn or pregnant woman and preventing the administration of oxytocin to speed up a long and potentially painful labor, the Journal reports. In addition, hospitals also are seeking to improve communication among hospital staff. Poor communication contributes to 85% of all negative outcomes in obstetrics, according to the Journal (Landro, Wall Street Journal, 7/12).

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