Safety spotlight
We have completed a number of investigations where time limits as described in national guidance (Recommendations | Fetal monitoring in labour | Guidance | NICE) have delayed categorisation of CTG recordings, resulting in delays in escalation.
For example: A CTG is started, decelerations are present from the beginning. It is not possible for clinicians to know when the decelerations started.
Questions to consider:
- In what time frame would this be escalated in your unit?
- Would the expectation be to escalate before 30 minutes have passed?
- Do you include this type of scenario in your CTG training?
- Is your team empowered to escalate prior to confirmation of a pathological CTG or prior to awaiting results of a computerised antenatal CTG?
- Is your team empowered to recognise the potential impact of CTG abnormalities which are present at the beginning of a CTG recording?
This was first published in the Stakeholder Bulletin: Jan 2025 - Edition