Hospital Must Follow Through

State investigators have identified the staffing problem at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange. Now it is up to the hospital where most of Orange County’s babies are born to execute its plan to correct the problem.

The hospital came under scrutiny last month when a mother was sent home with an infant not her own. St. Joseph discovered the problem quickly, but the news prompted other women to disclose that three other mix-ups had occurred at the hospital, though none of those mothers had left with the wrong baby. The hospital said it fired two nurses who had been involved in at least two of the mix-ups. But a systemic failure was evident.

The disclosures led to a state Health Department investigation. The findings released recently were that on several occasions during a period of months the hospital failed to meet its own staffing requirements. St. Joseph currently requires one registered nurse and one nurse assistant for every three women and three babies. On one occasion last June, one registered nurse was responsible for 14 babies and mothers. Another was looking after 16. A state Health Department spokeswoman said that was the day a mix-up resulted in a mother breast-feeding the wrong infant.

The department said it was satisfied with the hospital’s plan to fix the problems. But in view of its failure to follow its procedures in the past, oversight will be warranted. The problem for St. Joseph and other hospitals is complicated by a nationwide nursing shortage, which means that staying ahead in staffing will not be easy. Hospital officials said they will shift personnel at the maternity unit so that more nurses are available at peak admission and discharge times. They also will adjust staffing every four hours, depending on how many patients are in the hospital.

Shortly after the most recent mix-up, the hospital said it would buy a $500,000 system that electronically matches wristbands of a mother and her child.

These are sensible steps. In a hospital that delivers an average of more than 100 babies per week, the need to set and enforce strict standards is high.