A Collaborative Approach to Fetal Assessment in the Adult Intensive Care Unit

When a pregnant woman is admitted to the adult intensive care unit (ICU), responsibility for fetal assessment must be assumed by a nurse who is competent in interpreting data obtained by auscultation of the fetal heart rate or by the electronic fatal monitor. The fetus is a distinct patient requiring assessments, interventions, and evaluation including documentation of nursing care provided, similar to any patient in the ICU setting Most ICU nurses do not have adequate knowledge and clinical experience to assume this responsibility. Therefore, in institutions in which critically ill pregnant women are transferred to the adult ICU, a formal plan should be in place that includes care provided by nurses who are competent in fetal assessment. This article describes a collaborative approach to ensure that fetal assessments are performed by nurses who have the experience and education to do so and includes common terminology-used to describe fetal status so that ICU nurses are familiar with the language and appropriate nursing intervention