Fetal Heart Monitoring Class - June 2, 2025

Springfield, MA US
June 2, 2025

Overview

Intermediate level Fetal Heart Monitoring class for OB nurses will provide overall goals of regulatory compliance for regular EFM education/competency validation, standardize education across multidisciplinary teams, improve team communication; improve safety and contribute to quality goal of reduction of NTSV cesarean rates.  

Attendees at this class will learn about the following topics:
1.  Physiologic principles related to electronic fetal heart rate monitoring
2.  Methods of fetal heart monitoring and uterine activity assessment
3.  Pattern recognition and interpretation
4.  Intrapartum management of the fetal heart rate tracing
5.  Assessment of fetal oxygenation and acid-base status
6.  Documentation and risk management
7.  Team STEPPS and Chain of Command
8   EFM Case Studies
9.  Knowledge assessment (debrief) and validation.

For questions email Laura.soules@baystatehealth.org

Target Audience

This course is designed for registered nurses from LDRP and WETU.

Learning Objectives

The overall learning objective for this course are to regulatory compliance for regular EFM education/competency validation, close knowledge gaps, improve team communication and safety, standardize  education across multidisciplinary teams and Contribute to the quality goal of reduction of NTSV cesarean rates.

After participating in this educational activity, attendees should be able to:

  • Describe physiologic principles related to fetal heart rate assessment
  • Describe various methods of fetal heart rate and uterine activity assessment
  • Interpret and name fetal heart rate patterns according to NICHD terminology
  • Describe intrapartum management interventions appropriate to the fetal heart rate tracing
  • Demonstrate accurate assessment of fetal oxygenation and acid-base status
  • Describe best documentation practices and risk management principles
  • Discuss safe team communication principles
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 4.00 ANCC Contact Hours
Course opens: 
06/02/2025
Course expires: 
07/14/2025
Event starts: 
06/02/2025 - 10:00am EDT
Event ends: 
06/02/2025 - 2:00pm EDT
Add to calendar: 

Program

Content Outline:

  1. Physiologic principles related to electronic fetal heart rate monitoring (20min)
    1. Maternal-fetal circulation review
    2. Maternal-fetal oxygen transport
    3. Fetal physiologic influences
      1. Circulation
      2. Oxygen transport
      3. Sympathetic/parasympathetic nervous systems
      4. Barorecptors and chemoreceptors
      5. Hormones
      6. Cardiac output
  2. Methods of fetal heart monitoring and uterine activity assessment (10min)
    1. Leopold’s
    2. Palpation
    3. Intermittent auscultation
    4. Continuous EFM
      1. FSE vs external US
    5. Uterine activity evaluation
      1. Toco vs IUPC
  3. Pattern recognition and interpretation (60min)
    1. NICHD terminology
    2. Systematic assessment
    3. Characteristics
      1. Baseline, tachycardia, bradycardia
      2. Variability
      3. Periodic and episodic changes
        1. Accelerations
        2. Decelerations
          1. Early
          2. Late
          3. Variable
          4. Prolonged
      4. Unusual characteristics (sinusoidal, arrhythmias)
  4. Intrapartum management of the fetal heart rate tracing (45min)
    1. Physiologic goals and interventions
    2. Management of category 2 & 3 tracings
    3. Techniques for intrauterine resuscitation
      1. Position
      2. Reduce uterine activity
      3. IV Fluids
      4. Oxygen
      5. Anesthesia-related hypotension
      6. Amnioinfusion
      7. Modification of pushing efforts
      8. Coping
  5. Assessment of fetal oxygenation and acid-base status (30min)
    1. Physiology and factors affecting assessment
    2. Methods of assessment of oxygenation and acid-base status
      1. Indirect methods
        1. Acoustic stimulation
        2. Scalp stimulation
      2. Direct methods
        1. Umbilical cord sampling
        2. Interpretation of umbilical cord gases
  1. Documentation and risk management (20min)
    1. General documentation guidelines
    2. Fetal monitoring documentation
    3. Interval and summary documentation
    4. Risk management considerations
  2. Team STEPPS and Chain of Command (20min)
    1. (Overview based on the Team STEPPS handbook, now on public domain)
  3. EFM Case Studies (35min)
    1. In class review, interactive discussion
  4. Knowledge assessment (debrief) and validation
    1. Take-home packet with test questions and case studies

Venue

Baystate Medical Center
759 Chestnut Street
Lundy Board Room
Springfield, MA 01199
United States

Faculty

FACULTY

Laura Soule, MSN, RNC-OB
Clinical Nurse Educator
Baystate Medical Center

Individual

Individual's Role in Activity

Financial Relationship Disclosure

Discussion of
Unlabeled/Unapproved
Uses of Drugs/Devices
in Presentation?

Laura Soule, MSN, RNC-OB 

Planner/Speaker/Course Director

No relevant relationships with ineligible companies to discloseNo

Accreditation

In support of improving patient care, Baystate Health is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

 

Nurses
Baystate Continuing Interprofessional Education designates this live activity for a maximum of 4.0 contact hour(s).  Nurses should only claim the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Available Credit

  • 4.00 ANCC Contact Hours

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