title: The perinatal patient safety nurse: a new role to promote safe care for mothers and babies.
abstract: Medical malpractice premiums and costs of obstetric claims, settlements, and jury awards are at an all-time high. This article describes one professional liability company's initiative to promote safer perinatal care and decrease costs of claims, including the development of the perinatal patient safety nurse role. The primary responsibility of the perinatal patient safety nurse is to promote safe care for mothers and babies by keeping patient safety as a focus of all unit operations and clinical practices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD 21287-5201, USA. swill1@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Susan Brown
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Will
authors.forename: Kyle P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Hennicke
authors.forename: Loretta S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Loraine M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.forename: Cheryl A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Raab
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003696:Delivery Rooms / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D007229:Infant Welfare / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016365:Liability, Legal; D008429:Maternal Welfare / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D018743:Perinatal Care / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015397:Program Evaluation; D017751:Safety Management / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014707:Vermont