Prioritisation on the delivery suite

Simultaneous but diverse clinical activity occurs on the delivery suite, and although some women needing medical attention will clearly take priority over others in terms of the urgency of their predicament, those with less serious concerns will continue to labour and continue to need care. Coordinating this workload requires good communication, teamwork and planning. Effective handovers, regular wards rounds and crisp decision-making all play a vital role. The aim is to streamline care such that each woman gets the attention she needs when she needs it, and to this end the anticipation of problems can be invaluable. Emergencies cannot always be prevented or predicted, however, and the workload sometimes exceeds capacity; in these situations, priorities must be recognised and managed effectively (triage), and there should be systems in place to utilise all staff efficiently and mobilise extra help as needed.