TRISTAR LABOR AND DELIVERY NURSES RAISE THE BAR ON SAFE DELIVERIES

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 11, 2003 – The TriStar network of hospitals is showing their commitment to providing safer deliveries by raising the bar on nursing education. Since September 30, 2003, 100 percent of qualified TriStar registered nurses that care for patients who are in labor or are receiving antepartum care have completed the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) Fetal Monitoring Practices and Principles Course.

“TriStar hospitals are the only hospitals in middle Tennessee that require this course as a minimum standard for their labor and delivery nurses,” said Nicole Herndon, administrative director for Women’s Hospital. “We believe this program ensures that women who have babies at a TriStar hospital receive the best possible care.”

AWHONN is a national association whose mission is to promote excellence in nursing practice to improve the health of women and newborns. The goal of the two-day course is to develop a consistent approach to quality fetal heart monitoring education for all qualified RN’s. Fetal heart monitoring is used to assess fetal wellbeing and tolerance to labor. When nurses are appropriately trained to apply fetal monitoring concepts, they will make better decisions in the delivery of quality patient care. Fetal monitoring competency is a critical element in any successful perinatal program.

The AWHONN program helps to:

• Standardize competencies to validate the knowledge and skills of experienced nurses
• Improve clinical knowledge and helps nurses stay up-to-date on the latest practices in the field
• Provide a common vocabulary for clearer communication between nurse and physicians
• Enhance critical thinking skills to promote patient safety and improve outcomes

TriStar Health System is the most comprehensive healthcare network in middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky. TriStar serves over 63,500 admissions and over 256,000 emergency room visits per year system-wide, and is nationally recognized in the areas of cardiology, orthopaedics, oncology, neurology and women's health. In 2002, there were over 7,600 births, 950 cardiac surgeries, 6,700 cardiac catheterization procedures and 1,200 cancer research protocol patients throughout the network. With over 2,500 licensed beds and a network of 2,600 physicians in 37 specialties, TriStar hospitals provide care for patients in both metropolitan and rural areas. For more information about the services offered and health plans accepted by TriStar Health System, please call (615) 342-1919, (800) 242-5662.

# # #