Abstract
- When caring for women experiencing spontaneous preterm labor and birth nurses play a pivotal role as bedside experts and key members of the obstetrical care team. Enhanced expertise surrounding clinical and professional knowledge of the preterm labor and birth epidemic is crucial in prevention and treatment. While PTB rates have steadily risen and racial disparity gaps have widened, perinatal nurses have an opportunity to fill these spaces as well-informed clinical authorities by providing innovative education, holistic assessments, and communication through shared decision-making models. Educating pregnant women about early recognition of preterm labor (PTL) warning signs and symptoms allows for timely diagnosis, interventions, and treatment. Informed and collaborative nursing practice improves quality of clinical decision making and implementation of interventions as based on individualized interactions. The purpose of this article is to provide a clinical review of spontaneous preterm labor and preterm birth for perinatal nurses who practice in the inpatient setting.