Professional Guideline Discrepancies as a Barrier to Labor Progress and Teamwork

Despite rapidly advancing progress in some areas of pregnancy care, cohesion and interprofessional communication during labor management are dangerously protracted in modern obstetrics. Current discrepancies in national guidelines among professional organizations-specifically the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists and the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses-create conditions for the breakdown of interprofessional teamwork on the labor unit, leading to dystocia both of labor and communication. This article highlights areas of agreement and disagreement between published documents from each professional organization that lead to conflict at the bedside. We propose a purposeful national program of guideline reconciliation in concert with our professional organizations to help bridge these gaps. Finding common ground in current evidence will allow teams to restore trust and ensure collaborative care for patients.