The following guidelines are intended only as a general educational resource for hospitals and clinicians, and are not intended to reflect or establish a standard of care or to replace individual clinician judgment and medical decision making for specific healthcare environments and patient situations.

Guideline for the Use of Oxytocin
December 2012
INTRODUCTION
The benefits of labor induction and augmentation must be weighed against the potential maternal and fetal risks associated with this procedure (1). The induction or augmentation of labor may increase the likelihood of neonatal complications or result in unnecessary cesarean section.
These risks may be necessary to assume in complicated pregnancies, in which prolongation of gestation presents further risk to the mother or fetus.
Prior to initiating oxytocin, the patient should be counseled about the indications for the use of oxytocin, the methods of administration to be employed, and the risks of failure, cesarean delivery, or fetal compromise.
A physician capable of performing cesarean section should be readily available during the induction or augmentation of labor (2).
UNIT STRUCTURE
Each hospital’s department of obstetrics should develop a standardized, single, universal written protocol for the use of oxytocin for labor induction or augmentation. Standardization of an oxytocin infusion protocol is recommended to reduce medication dosing error and improve patient assessment.
Elements of a protocol should include (2):
 Indications for the use of oxytocin for labor induction and augmentation.
 Methods for preparation and administration of oxytocin.
 Qualifications of staff authorized to administer oxytocin and monitor patients.
 The level of the initial dose and subsequent doses,
 The timing interval of changes in doses
 A protocol for patient assessment, including definitions of normal and abnormal