Family-Centred Perinatal Care
Improving Pregnancy, Birth and Postpartum Care

This book clearly defines family-centred perinatal care and outlines how it should be implemented, with international examples.

Beverley Chalmers (Author)

9781316627952, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 3 April 2017

236 pages
23.3 x 15.7 x 1.3 cm, 0.36 kg

'I found this book to be fascinating, informative, and beautifully written. I loved the first-person, personal way in which Dr Chalmers presented the evidence, her evaluation of it, the reasons for her evaluation, and above all the presentation of her own invaluable research and what she learned from it. Dr Chalmers has captured the perfect balance between objectivity and subjectivity.' Murray Enkin FRCSC, Order of Canada Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton

Since childbirth became a medicalized - and usually hospitalized - event a century ago, women's and families' psychosocial needs have been relegated to a somewhat peripheral role within the clinically focussed hierarchy of medical care. This text reinstates psychosocial issues as a primary focus of care, together with clinical excellence. Family-centred care is a familiar phrase in today's maternity services, with professional guidelines and hospital policies including the term in their care protocols; however, few definitions, and no specific standards, for family-centred care exist. While all caregivers and care services are likely to define their care as sensitive to women's needs, and family-centred, the actual implementation of a family-centred approach - despite it being a current fashion in care - is still inadequate. This book clearly defines family-centred perinatal care, and outlines how truly family-centred care can, and should, be implemented, and how, and where, this has been done.

Dedication
Table of contents
Foreword
Preface
Executive summary
An introduction to family-centred perinatal care
Part I. From Pregnancy to Parenthood: 1. Pregnancy and birth are normal, healthy processes
2. Care of families after normal birth
3. Care of sick or preterm newborns and their families
Part II. Practicing Family-Centred Care: 4. Clinical care: evidence-based family-centred care
5. Psycho-socially sensitive care
6. Including families in care
7. Inter- and multi-professional care
8. Culturally appropriate care
9. Is there a 'universally ideal birth'?
Part III. Meeting Professional Standards: 10. Abuse in obstetric and gynaecological care
11. Monitoring, evaluation and research
12. Goals, ethics and rights in family-centred perinatal care
Part IV. An Unfinished Agenda: 13. Best practices from global settings
14. The road ahead
Appendix: family-centred care monitoring questions
Notes
Index.

Subject Areas: Gynaecology & obstetrics [MJT]