Consensus Guidelines for Intermittent Auscultation in United States Community Birth Settings

Intermittent auscultation is the gold standard for fetal assessment in uncomplicated pregnancies and labors and is used universally in the community birth setting. Great variation exists in intermittent auscultation practices and language used by community birth midwives across the country. Current standards, as defined by midwifery schools, state midwifery licensing boards, and individual midwifery practices, differ significantly and sometimes contradict each other. Community birth midwives, nurses and birth assistants, midwifery educators and those working in community birth quality improvement have been in need of common language and guidance on best practices in intermittent auscultation.