Fetal surveillance and monitoring legal issues revisited

The issue of obstetric litigation and electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) is revisited. The controversy in the medical literature that suggests that we are in an era fraught with both medical and legal dilemmas in the use of EFM is explored. The role of the nurse expert, the standard of care, and case studies are presented that demonstrate the need for obstetric nurses to be competent in EFM, the physiology and pathophysiology of labor, and the standard of care to which they are held accountable. Suggestions are made for risk management in the intrapartum setting.