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Showing results for tags 'Pregnancy'.
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Content ArticleIn this article, Maryanne Demasi looks at the continued prescription of Makena, an injectable synthetic hormone approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to women who are at high-risk of premature delivery. Makena claims to reduce the risk of pre-term birth and was approved in 2011 on an accelerated pathway by the FDA following an initial trial that showed positive outcomes. However, Demasi explains, the study has been discredited as flawed in its methods and findings, and a confirmatory trial conducted by the manufacturer showed that Makena does not actually prevent preterm birth. In spite of this, and in the face of known risks, Makena is still being prescribed to pregnant women as the manufacturer has refused to withdraw it from the market. She highlights the dangers of the FDA not taking stronger action against the manufacturer of Makena, by looking at the example of Diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic hormone use by women from the 1930's to the 1970s to prevent miscarriages and premature births. DES was later found to cause cancers, immune and cardiovascular disorders and other abnormalities in pregnant women, their children and their grandchildren.
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Content ArticleThis leaflet produced by Group B Strep Support and the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology provides information about group B Strep (GBS) aimed particularly at pregnant women. It includes; an explanation of what group B Strep is. what GBS could mean for a baby. how to reduce the risk of GBS infection to a baby. a list of the signs of GBS infection in newborn babies.
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Content ArticleIs good-quality health care being provided for women in prison? As the government proceeds with plans to build 500 more prison places for women, this new Nuffield Trust analysis uses HES data to look at women prisoners' use of hospital services, finding that they face a series of challenges and risks in prison because of barriers to accessing health and care services.
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- Prison
- Health inequalities
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Content ArticleThe government has published the first ever Women's Health Strategy for England to tackle the gender health gap.
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Content ArticleWomen are four times as likely to die after childbirth in Britain as in Scandinavian countries, a study published in the BMJ from Diguisto et al. has found. The authors compared maternal mortality in eight countries (France, Italy, UK, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Slovakia) with enhanced surveillance systems. They found that UK had the second-highest death rate, with one in 10,000 mothers dying within six weeks of giving birth, only slightly less than in Slovakia, the worst performing. Norway has the lowest maternal death rates in Europe, at one in 37,000. In Denmark, the second-best performing country, one in 29,000 died. In-depth analyses of differences in the quality of care and health system performance at national levels are needed to reduce maternal mortality further by learning from best practices and each other. Cardiovascular diseases and mental health in women during and after pregnancy must be prioritised in all countries.
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- Maternity
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Content ArticleThe MBRRACE-UK collaboration, led from Oxford Population Health's National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU), has published the results of their latest UK Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths and Morbidity. These annual rigorous reports are recognised as a gold standard in identifying key improvements needed for maternity services. The latest Saving Lives, Improving Mothers' Care analysis examines in detail the care of all women who died during, or up to one year after, pregnancy between 2018 and 2020 in the UK. This is the first report to include data that demonstrates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal deaths.
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Content ArticleThis survey by In-FACT (Independent Fetal Anti Convulsant Trust) is intended to provide patients, no matter what anti-epileptic drug (AED) they are prescribed or what condition the AED is prescribed for, the opportunity to report problems and worries about taking their medication during pregnancy. The results will be used to inform In-FACT's ongoing work to improve medication safety and their engagement with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
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- Womens health
- Obstetrics and gynaecology/ Maternity
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Considering Valproate video (February 2022)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Medication
Sodium valproate is a medication used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder and migraines, but it can cause birth defects, learning disabilities and developmental problems in babies if taken during pregmamcy. This video by Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust discusses the various effects of using valproate, including the potential harmful effects the medication can have on unborn foetuses. It features a conversation between a pharmacist and patient discussing the need for a valproate pregnancy prevention programme if the patient is to be prescribed valproate.- Posted
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Content ArticleThis is the transcript of a Westminster Hall debate in the House of Commons on Black Maternal Health Awareness Week 2022, dedicated to raising awareness about disparities in maternal outcomes.
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- Obstetrics and gynaecology/ Maternity
- Health inequalities
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Content ArticleInflammatory rheumatic disease (IRD), such as rheumatoid arthritis, can cause poor outcomes in pregnancy, and the health of the mother and developing foetus must be balanced when making decisions about medication. This updated guideline from the British Society for Rheumatology contains evidence and best practice for prescribing rheumatology medications during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It includes a table that summarises information about drug compatibility in pregnancy and breastfeeding.
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- Pregnancy
- Medicine - Rheumatology
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Content ArticleMBRRACE-UK is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) to undertake the Maternal, Newborn and Infant Clinical Outcome Review Programme (MNI-CORP). The aims of the MNI-CORP are to collect, analyse and report national surveillance data and conduct national confidential enquiries in order to stimulate and evaluate improvements in health care for mothers and babies. This report focuses on the surveillance of perinatal deaths from 22+0 weeks’ gestational age (including late fetal losses, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths) of babies born between 1 January and 31 December 2020.
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Content ArticleContinuity of Carer (CoC) is a way of working within maternity services. It aims to provide a consistency in the care given to people before, during and after birth, limiting the number of clinicians involved in their journey. Evidence shows this approach improves safety, leads to better outcomes and is preferred by patients. In this blog, Samantha Phillis, Community Midwife, uses powerful examples to illustrate how the CoC model has helped her look after her patients.
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- Midwife
- Obstetrics and gynaecology/ Maternity
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Content ArticleHaving consistent healthcare support during pregnancy, labour and after your baby’s born can make the world of difference. In this webpage, the National Childcare Trust (NCT) focuses on the following questions: What does Continuity of Care in maternity mean? What are the benefits? How can I make continuity of care more likely?
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Content ArticleEnsuring quality of care during pregnancy and childbirth is crucial to improving health outcomes and reducing preventable mortality and morbidity among women and their newborns. In recent years, Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (PQCs) have been driving improvements in perinatal care across the United States. PQCs are state or multistate networks of teams working to improve the quality of care for mothers and babies. PQCs do that by advancing evidence-informed clinical practices and processes using quality improvement principles to address gaps in care. PQCs work with clinical teams, experts and stakeholders, including patients and families, to spread best practices, reduce variation and optimise resources to improve perinatal care and outcomes. The goal of PQCs is to achieve improvements in population-level outcomes in maternal and infant health. In this article, LifeQI outlines the PQC approach, tools LifeQI can offer and some examples of PQCs being run. Life QI is the global web platform where tools, people and data come together to make improvement happen.
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Content ArticleThe aim of this study from Jardine et al. was to determine the rate of complicated birth at term in women classified at low risk according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline for intrapartum care (no pre-existing medical conditions, important obstetric history, or complications during pregnancy) and to assess if the risk classification can be improved by considering parity and the number of risk factors. The authors found nulliparous women without risk factors have substantially higher rates of complicated birth than multiparous women without a previous caesarean section even if the latter have multiple risk factors. Grouping women first according to parity and previous mode of birth, and then within these groups according to presence of specific risk factors would provide greater and more informed choice to women, better targeting of interventions, and fewer transfers during labour than according to the presence of risk factors alone.
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Content ArticleAt the First Do No Harm All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) meeting on 26 January 2021 with the Minister for Patient Safety, Nadine Dorries MP, attendees asked a large number of questions, not all of which could be answered by the Minister due to time constraints. The unanswered questions were submitted to the Minister’s office at the Department for Health and Social Care for a written response. The Department has now provided answers.
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Content Article'Continuity of carer' in midwifery is when a woman has consistency in who they see during their pregnancy, labour and postnatal period. In this video, three midwives share their experiences of working in this way and talk about the benefits they've seen for women, babies and their own practice. They provide examples of how this model can improve the safety of services and offer advice for teams and individuals embarking on the continuity of carer journey.
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Content ArticleThe author of this review argues that, while many of us benefit from advances and new technologies used in medical drug development, there is one group that has barely made any gains at all: pregnant women. This review presents an overview of the current situation for this group, the issues and the available evidence; as well as exploring the barriers and options in better addressing pregnancy and maternal health. This document was written on behalf of the Birmingham Health Partners Centre for Regulatory Science and Innovation.
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Content ArticleThis report, the seventh MBRRACE-UK annual report of the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths and Morbidity, includes surveillance data on women who died during or up to one year after pregnancy between 2016 and 2018 in the UK. In addition, it also includes Confidential Enquiries into the care of women who died between 2016 and 2018 in the UK and Ireland from epilepsy and stroke, general medical and surgical disorders, anaesthetic causes, haemorrhage, amniotic fluid embolism and sepsis. The report also includes a Morbidity Confidential Enquiry into the care of women with pulmonary embolism.
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Content ArticleFollowing the publication of Donna Ockenden’s first report: Emerging Findings and Recommendations from the Independent Review of Maternity Services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust on 11 December 2020, the NHS has issued this latest update. Read previous letter update
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Content ArticleIn this written statement to Parliament, the Minister for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health, Nadine Dorries, gives an update on the government’s response to the recommendations of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety (IMMDS) Review, sometimes referred to as the Cumberlege Review. Nadine Dorries concludes: "The report of the IMMDS Review powerfully demonstrates the importance of hearing the patient voice in patient safety matters. The actions outlined here demonstrate the government’s commitment to learning from this report, and will support vital work already underway to hear the voice of the patient as part of the NHS Patient Safety Strategy. We currently plan to respond further to the report of the IMMDS Review during 2021."
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Content ArticleWomen receiving treatment for epilepsy are being urged to discuss with a healthcare professional the right treatment for them if they anticipate becoming pregnant even sometime in the future, following a Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) safety review. Lamotrigine (Lamictal) and levetiracetam (Keppra) have been found to be safer than other antiepileptic drugs in pregnancy. The MHRA advises patients not to stop taking their current medicines without first discussing it with a healthcare professional.
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Content ArticleInformation for all women of childbearing age, those currently pregnant or breastfeeding on coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination.
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Content Article
NHS Resolution: Fetal surveillance (16 September 2019)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Maternity
This case story is based on real events and NHS Resolution is sharing the experience of those involved to help prevent a similar occurrence happening to patients, families and staff. -
Content ArticleCaitlin Wilson is a Consultant Midwife, currently leading the development and implementation of the Midwifery Continuity of Carer (CoC) model in Worcestershire. In this interview, Caitlin tells us more about the benefits to both staff and families, and offers advice for anyone thinking about adopting this model of care.
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