Identifying labor support actions of intrapartum nurses
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Updated: Oct 11, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
1University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA.
Objective:
To identify specific nursing actions that best characterize labor support from the nurse's perspective.
Design:
A descriptive survey design using a three-round Delphi technique was used to explore the views of intrapartum nurses in the United States related to labor support.
Participants:
Five hundred AWHONN members who identified themselves as intrapartum nurses were invited to participate in the survey. One hundred eighty-six nurses agreed to participate. Participants who submitted usable surveys in each round: round one, n = 166; round two, n = 115; and round three, n = 117. Eighty-seven nurses participated in all three rounds of the survey.
Results:
The participants identified 55 specific nursing actions as supportive care. These interventions ranged from psychosocial support such as remaining with the mother if she is fearful to physical support measures such as position changes. The nurses clearly distinguished between supportive nursing care and the assessment and technical aspects of their job. The nurses also identified the overall goals of intrapartum nursing were to assure a safe outcome for the newborn (82.8% of participants) and for the mother (75% of participants).
Conclusions:
The supportive actions identified by this panel of intrapartum nurses were similar to ones identified by mothers in other studies. Nurses made a clear distinction between supportive nursing care and assessment skills or technical tasks.
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