L. Mahlmeister, PERINATAL GROUP-B STREPTOCOCCAL INFECTIONS - THE NURSES ROLE IN IDENTIFICATION AND PROPHYLAXIS, The Journal of perinatal & neonatal nursing, 10(2), 1996, pp. 1-16
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a major cause of perinatal infectious m
orbidity and mortality in the United States. An estimated 50,000 women
and 7,600 neonates experience GBS disease, and as many as 310 infants
die each year. In 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics published
recommendations for identification and treatment of pregnant women col
onized with GBS. In 1996, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventi
on and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists develop
ed more comprehensive guidelines. The article describes the central ro
le of perinatal nurses in the identification of pregnant women coloniz
ed with GBS, patient education about GBS disease, and successful imple
mentation of intrapartum GBS prophylaxis.