Intrapartum fetal monitoring: liability and documentation

Litigation in obstetrics is common, and evidence suggests that a disturbingly high number of poor outcomes are preventable. Risk management related to fetal monitoring must include both the creation of systems to provide safer care and the mitigation of liability exposure through the use of protocols and documentation strategies that are designed to provide evidence of clinicians' attentive and appropriate care. A simplified approach to documentation is reviewed, along with suggestions for frequency of documentation, standardization of common abbreviations, and samples of concise but inclusive progress notes.