How labor and delivery nursing affects childbirth outcomes
Effects of Changes in Labor and Delivery Nursing Organizational Characteristics on Obstetric Outcomes
This project looks at how nurse staffing, teamwork, and education at hospitals relate to bleeding, infections, and C-section rates for people giving birth.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11362538 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you give birth in a hospital, researchers will link your birth records with information about the labor-and-delivery nursing team — including nurse workload, the nurse work environment, and how many nurses have BSN degrees — to look for patterns in postpartum bleeding, infections, and cesareans. They will compare data across many hospitals and study differences by race and other patient backgrounds to better understand disparities. The work uses existing hospital clinical data and nurse surveys rather than testing a treatment. The goal is to identify nursing practices and staffing arrangements that are tied to safer births.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who give birth in the participating hospitals (primarily U.S. hospitals) are the patients who could be included or affected by this work.
Not a fit: People who deliver outside the participating hospitals — for example at home or in nonparticipating birth centers/hospitals — would likely not be included and would not directly benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could point to nursing practices and staffing patterns that reduce postpartum bleeding, infections, and unnecessary C-sections.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research in other hospital settings has linked nurse staffing and work environment to patient outcomes, but applying these methods to labor and delivery and maternal outcomes is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lake, Eileen T — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Lake, Eileen T
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.