Background The number of Dutch clinical midwives has increased substantially over the last 20 years, but their tasks, responsibilities, and formal positions remain unclear. This study aimed to gain insight into the current tasks and responsibilities of clinical midwives in Dutch hospitals. We also aimed …

In practice, every day obstetric emergency care departments in hospitals receive several telephone calls from pregnant women. During these calls, midwives, nurses or doctor’s assistants use their obstetric knowledge and experience to determine the severity of the complaints and the necessity and urgency …

Background: Safety and efficiency of emergency care can be optimized with a triage system which uses urgency to prioritize care. The Dutch Obstetric Telephone Triage System (DOTTS) was developed to provide a basis for assessing urgency of unplanned obstetric care requests by telephone. Reliability and …

Objective and Purpose: A triage system that prioritizes care according to medical urgency has a favorable effect on safety and efficiency of emergency care. The Dutch obstetric telephone triage system is comparable to physical triage systems. It consists of five urgency levels: resuscitation and life …