Family-centered maternity care: the nursing administrator's role

The author contends that nursing administrators can and should take a leadership role in making family-centred maternity care a reality everywhere in Canada. Two Canadian surveys have revealed that many hospital maternity practices which fall within nursing's domain are outdated. Furthermore, these practices mitigate against the development of confidence and mastery in the new family. The trend towards a shorter length of stay for obstetrical patients makes the implementation of FCMC more essential now than ever. The article outlines the nursing administrator's role in supporting and promoting family-centered maternity care. The characteristics of this approach are outlined and the components of a quality assurance programme to achieve it are provided. Attitudes of the nursing staff and ways of overcoming resistance and "selling" family-centred maternity care are described. Finally, an example which illustrates typical obstacles to implementing a family-centred approach is presented for analysis.