title: The real challenge: lessons from obstetric nursing history.
abstract: The successes, failures, and ongoing dilemmas within nursing derive directly from the earliest nursing practices. The conflicting requirements between strictly prescribed scientific medical treatment and the nurturing care needed by mothers and infants have shaped the practice of obstetric nursing throughout the past century. The historical challenge, relevant to current practice, is that nurses not become so focused on techniques and routines that they forget the patients' needs for comfort and support.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences and Human Performance at Lynchburg College, VA, USA.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Rinker
mesh_terms: D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D009773:Obstetric Nursing / Q000266:history* / Q000379:methods; D014481:United States