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Mortimer G. Rosen, MD

JAMA. 1991;265(17):2236-2237.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

The benefits of continuous emotional support during labor and delivery are described by Kennell et al¹ in this issue of THE JOURNAL. Earlier work by Klaus and Kennell² contributed to our understanding of the importance of parental interaction in stimulating early infant bonding, and of the importance of early maternal contact with the low—birth weight neonate to lower the incidence of later child abuse.

In most hospital labor and delivery rooms, the support person who encourages and assists a mother through her labor is the nurse. The nurse's role also includes starting infusions, checking vital signs, administering medications, attaching and adjusting monitoring instruments, and documenting the progress of labor on the patient's chart. In some hospitals nurses also perform pelvic examinations. While the nurse can give the patient considerable psychological support, this attention may be diverted by responsibility for other patients and by the need to respond to . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and Sloane Hospital for Women of The Presbyterian Hospital in the City of New York, NY.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, 630 W 160th St, New York, NY 10032 (Dr Rosen).

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