The medical liability crisis continues to grow at an alarming rate and has particularly impacted perinatal and neonatal practice. This book focuses on issues which have a high vulnerability to claims of medical negligence. Its objective is the recognition of high-risk situations and the appropriate means to diagnose, treat, and document the response to such situations. Emphasis on record keeping, communication, and anticipatory behaviour is stressed. Chapters are accompanied by commentaries aimed at presenting alternative strategies. Authors have been chosen for their expertise in the subject and their abilities to communicate their points of view.

This unique text focuses on an aspect of medical and nursing practice which has become a major area of importance in the medico-legal arena. The editors have made a special effort to aid both the medical and legal sectors in understanding the important issues involved in medical negligence cases. This book will help remedy this situation by examining the "red flags" in several high risk situations to enable the development of a prospective approach to risk management. The contributors are internationally recognised experts from the field of obstetrics, neonatology, nursing and hospital administration, as well as the legal profession.

The editors believe that this book will serve to bring about changes in the behaviour of health care professionals which will ultimately improve the quality of care that they give to their patients. This text should be on the bookshelf of any individual involved in the medical care of the pregnant woman and her newborn.

Over the last hundred years, pregnancy and childbirth has become increasingly safe - yet it is still a site of risk, and a contested ground on which health professionals and pregnant women both face high costs of error. In this context, all those involved in managing pregnancy and birth are expected to identify and mitigate risk: pregnant women are subject to increasing surveillance to ensure the safety of the unborn foetus, and every aspect of childbearing is increasingly medicalised. This publication brings together fascinating social science research to explore the ways in which risk is both created and managed in pregnancy and childbirth. The introductory chapters reflect on the changing social context of childbirth, in particular the medicalisation of both pregnancy and childbirth with development of specialist practitioners, such as obstetricians and midwives who claim to have the knowledge, technology and skills to identify and manage the risks involved. The next three chapters that examine the ways in which women's behaviour during pregnancy is constructed as potentially risky -- for example smoking, drinking alcohol and taking drugs, and how these risks are monitored and mitigated. The final two parts of the book address the construction of and responses to both medicalisation and risk in childbirth. Altogether, it represents a valuable insight into the complex world of pregnancy, childbirth and risk. This book brings together editorials and articles originally published in special and open issues of Health, Risk and Society.

As research in neuroscience increasingly points to the unparalleled influence of the first 1000 days of life from conception to two years of age in determining the baby's life trajectory, the need for high-quality early parenting education delivered by knowledgeable and dedicated professionals becomes ever more apparent. This book describes the global aims of early parenting education. It identifies the key areas that research suggests are important: building a relationship with the unborn and newborn baby; preparing for labour and birth; supporting parents' mental health; protecting the couple relationship across the transition to parenthood; and education for special groups such as same-sex couples, women with fear of birth, prisoners, military wives and parents from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. All practitioners providing early parenting programmes - midwives, health visitors, family link workers, children's centre staff and voluntary sector teachers - will gain new ideas for their practice in this book. Students taking midwifery and early childhood courses will find much to support their studies. Ultimately, the book provides inspiration for all those who are committed to the role of parenting education in reducing social inequalities.

Sixteen British specialists pool their extensive knowledge of spontaneous abortion in one source. Their discussion is directly applicable to clinical situations and helps identify areas of debate and alternative methods.

The most common abnormal growth of the female reproductive system, fibroids, are thought to affect the majority of women at some point during their reproductive years. This text from leading fibroid experts looks at the latest evidence on how the problem impinges on reproduction and the most up-to-date management and treatment options available to help patients with fibroids hoping to conceive. Print versions of this book also include access to the eBook version with links to procedural videos.

"I would recommend this book to my peers and I would use it in my day-to-day work. It is most helpful to have a comprehensive guide that can be used in a variety of care settings and by many different healthcare providers."--Doody's Medical Reviews

Evidence-based research underscores the importance of breastfeeding for the healthy development of late preterm infants, yet significant challenges can impede its success. This is a groundbreaking, problem-solving guide to the most effective techniques for breastfeeding this vulnerable population. Written for lactation consultants, NICU nurses, obstetrical nurses, and nurse-midwives, the book offers clear, simple, evidence-based solutions to the distinct breastfeeding difficulties affecting late preterm infants.

The guide describes the characteristics of late preterm infants and the physiological challenges-often invisible and overlooked by health care providers-caused by disturbances of respiratory, metabolic, neurologic, and immunologic functions. These problems are often exacerbated by poor breastfeeding and result in 13% of hospital readmissions by late preterm infants. The book examines maternal conditions that affect breastfeeding success and provides detailed, easy-to-follow instructions for the most effective breastfeeding techniques. It describes specific strategies health care professionals can take to overcome breastfeeding difficulties, including proper positioning and latch technique, the use of breast pumps and other helpful equipment, supplemental feedings, and more. Pictures that illustrate correct procedures clarify specific techniques, and user-friendly patient teaching guides further encourage successful breastfeeding. The book also supports the goals of many hospitals seeking to achieve Baby-Friendly Status, as well as the goals of the Multidisciplinary Guidelines for Care of Late Preterm Infants recently issued by the National Perinatal Association. Key Features:

Comprises the only comprehensive guide specific to the breastfeeding issues of late preterm infants Describes developmental challenges faced by late preterm infants Provides detailed, easy-to-follow instructions for breastfeeding and techniques for overcoming difficulties Offers clear, simple, evidence-based solutions that nurses, lactation consultants, and midwives can offer to mothers Supports the goals of hospitals seeking Baby-Friendly Status

This new edition of an acclaimed text reviews the evidence for best practice in obstetrics to present the reader with the right information, with appropriate use of proven interventions and avoidance of ineffectual or harmful ones. The information is presented in the right format by summarizing evidence succinctly and clearly in tables and algorithms. The aim is to inform the clinician, to reduce errors, and "to make it easy to do it right." The volume can be purchased separately or together with the companion volume on Maternal-Fetal Evidence Based Guidelines (set ISBN 9780367567033). The Series in Maternal-Fetal Medicine is published in conjunction with the Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine. From reviews of previous editions: Obstetric Evidence Based Guidelines is a text that will prove useful to residents and fellows as well as to practicing obstetric clinicians. Furthermore, it can be used as a source for the development of hospital policies for the management of these obstetric problems ... The major advantage of this text is that it provides guidelines for the management of commonly encountered obstetric issues in a single book. -JAMA This is a welcome addition to a physician's library. Its use of current studies and easy-to-read format allow for easy fact-checking and referencing. -Doody's Review Service

Designed for easy revision of the key points, key references, and key management stages, the two volumes in this set review the evidence for best practice, presenting the reader with the right information, in the right format, summarized in easy-to-use tables and algorithms. Each guideline is designed to "make it easy to do it right", with appropriate use of proven interventions. The quality of evidence available is graded so that a well-informed clinician can improve the health of mother and baby by providing quality care. *Offers an easy-to-assimilate guide to the key points in maternal-fetal and obstetric practice *Supplies an invaluable resource for those revising topics for professional or clinical requirements *Ensures providers of care can locate the best intervention quickly and confidently

Decision-making pervades all aspects of midwifery practice across the world. Midwifery is informed by a number of decision-making theories, but it is sometimes difficult to marry these theories with practice. This book provides a comprehensive exploration of decision-making for midwives irrespective of where in the world they practice or in which model of care. The first part critically reviews decision-making theories, including the Enhancing Decision-making Assessment in Midwifery (EDAM) tool, and their relevance to midwifery. It explores the links between midwifery governance, including professional regulation and the law, risk and safety and decision-making as well as how critical thinking and reflection are essential elements of decision-making. It then goes on to present a number of diverse case studies, demonstrating how they interrelate to and impact upon optimal midwifery decision-making. Each chapter presents examples that show how the theory translates into practice and includes activities to reinforce learning points. Bringing together a diverse range of contributors, this volume will be essential reading for midwifery students, practising midwives and midwifery academics.

Innovations in technology and new therapies have changed the face of medicine in the last few decades. These include advances in fetal diagnosis (preimplantation genetics, chorionic villous sampling and amniocentesis), drugs that have been developed to treat unique conditions in neonates such as respiratory distress syndrome (surfactant) and pulmonary hypertension (inhaled nitric oxide), as well as technological advances and interventions resulting in diagnostic (ultrasounds and MRI) and therapeutic interventions (intrauterine transfusion to ECMO). Research in fertility treatments has resulted in test tube babies and cloned animals, and that has also fostered technological advances in diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. The primary purpose of Innovations in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine is to highlight these innovations in technology and therapy that have not only changed the way doctors deliver care to fetus and neonate but also reduced neonatal mortality thereby saving millions of lives in the process. These issues are addressed by the authors who are experts in their respective fields. The book will be valuable not only to healthcare providers but also to educators and policy makers.

Evidence-Based Neonatal Infections is expertly written by David Isaacs, an experienced author renowned for his knowledge in both pediatric infections and evidence-based medicine. It critically analyses the evidence for decision making in neonatal infections. Evidence-Based Neonatal Infections * The first evidence-based text on neonatal infections * Provides practical guidance where evidence is poor * Complements David Isaacs' Evidence-Based Pediatric Infectious Diseases (9781405148580) Practical and evidence-based, Evidence-Based Neonatal Infections is designed to help the clinician with day-to-day decisions on the care of newborn babies with possible, probable or proven infections. It considers clinical questions relevant to neonatologists, analysing the evidence carefully and providing recommendations for optimum management of neonatal infectious diseases, whilst reflecting on: * Efficacy and safety * Antibiotic resistance * Cost effectiveness * Adverse effects * Ethical considerations Evidence-Based Neonatal Infections provides a unique reference for neonatologists, pediatricians, trainees, specialist nurses; general practitioners, microbiologists, infection control doctors, and all staff in neonatal units.

Nutrition in Early Life is a comprehensive authoritative text providing an in -depth scientific basis for nutrition during prenatal, postnatal and childhood growth and development. The book is an up-to-date reference for all those seeking to understand the application of science in support of a successful outcome of the reproductive cycle. It has a strong public health emphasis, dealing with nutritionally related health promotion issues from the fetus to maturity. Additionally, the book includes key practical guidelines for good nutritional practice in chapter twelve.

Nutrition in Early Life:

• is a clear up-to-date scientific text focusing on nutrition throughout the reproductive cycle.

• provides practical guidelines for good nutritional practice with a strong public health emphasis.

• includes learning outcomes and a detailed list of references at the end of each chapter.

The rhetoric of choice is much used in UK health policy and home birth is one of the three options that women are entitled to choose between when deciding where to have their baby. However, many women making this choice run into considerable opposition from the maternity service. Home Birth: the politics of difficult choices focuses on the experiences of women whose choices were opposed by health professionals during their pregnancy journey. It confronts why and how women are being denied home birth and raises some challenging issues for current midwifery practice. Using ten women's narratives, this important volume explores why women might want to give birth at home and considers ideas of risk and informed choice in pregnancy and birth. The book includes chapters on communication and language; fear and stress; advocacy and autonomy; fathers' experience of contested place of birth and free birthing. Pointers to best practice are presented whilst the text incorporates women's narratives throughout, making this a practical and relevant read for midwifery students as well as practising midwives and childbirth educators, all of whom have a duty to make home birth a real option for women.

This issue of Pediatric Clinics offers an update on Advances in Neonatology. Guest Editors Drs. Lucky Jain and David Carlton have assembled a panel of world-class experts who offer reviews on topics including Trends in birthing, gestational age, birth weight and mortality in newborns; Late Prematurity; Advances in newborn resuscitation; Approaches to infants with congenital anomalies; Advances in neonatal surgery; Respiratory failure in the term and near term infant; Mechanical ventilation of the newborn; Pulmonary hypertension in the newborn; Bronchopulmonary dysplasia; Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; Necrotising enterocolitis; Hyperbilirubinemia; Retinopathy of Prematurity; Surgical approaches to an infant with congenital heart disease; Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy; Neonatal sepsis; and Quality improvement in neonatology.

Prominent scientists from perinatal medicine, paediatrics, psychology and sociology will meet in Modena, Italy to explore birth as a complex psychological experience for mother, father and child. The proceedings of this interdisciplinary congress are here published in English to reach the broadest possible scientific audience. The goal is to create a dialogue between humanistic and medical perspectives with regard to conception, pregnancy and birth in an era of rapid biotechnological progress, taking different social and cultural contexts into account.

This convenient and easy-to-use orientation reference and care guide provides new neonatal nurses and their preceptors with the core information they need to provide all aspects of safe, effective, holistic care to newborn infants and their families. Addressing the needs of both low-risk and high-risk infants, the guide presents specific, evidence-based interventions in consistently formatted chapters. A special "orientation guide" is featured in each chapter to acquaint the new neonatal nurse with essential information on procedures, policies, equipment, medications and evidence-based protocols. Content is divided into key topic areas including physiological adaptations to birth, newborn assessment and basic newborn care, newborn nutrition, common and high-risk neonatal conditions, special topics and information based on a family-centred care model that addresses parent assessments, needs and discharge instructions. Appendices include skills checklist, commonly used medications, abbreviations and lab values. This book was originally published under the Fast Facts series by Springer Publishing Company.

This book critically analyzes the place of caesarean in childbearing at the beginning of the twenty first century. It questions the changes that are taking place in childbirth and, in particular, the effects and implications of an increase in caesarean births.

This controversial work by a practising midwife and researcher, includes discussion of:

• the context of the operation and description of it
• health systems around the world and their caesarean incidence rates
• decision-making and cultural/medical constraints
• the short and long term implications of caesarean for baby and mother.

Using up-to-date research, Rosemary Mander bases her argument on a firm evidence-base and argues that the rapidly rising caesarean section rate may not be for the benefit of either the woman giving birth or her baby. Rather, the beneficiaries may actually be those professionals whose investment is in extending the range of theirinfluence and thus increasing the medicalization of normal life.

This book is a practical guide for medical practitioners as they navigate through breastfeeding problems that occur in day-to-day practice. If mothers have a breastfeeding complication they are often directed to their GP. In complex situations, medical staff will be making decisions around what treatment plan to follow and whether a mother can keep breastfeeding. In recent years there has been growing evidence that medical professionals often advise mothers to stop breastfeeding while undergoing treatment, when in reality this was not a necessary step. In a time when breastfeeding rates are decreasing, it is important that medical professionals give accurate advice and support a mother's choice to breastfeed if the situation allows it. A Guide to Supporting Breastfeeding for the Medical Profession includes contributions from a wide range of medical professionals and each chapter is written with the practitioner in mind. Contributors include GPs, paediatricians, neonatologists, lactation specialists and midwives. Doctors have a vital role to play in supporting and facilitating breastfeeding, and without the appropriate knowledge they can often inadvertently sabotage it. This book will be of interest to GPs and paediatricians as well as nurse prescribers, midwives and health visitors.

Psychodynamic Interventions in Pregnancy and Infancy builds on Bjoern Salomonsson's experiences as a psychoanalytic consultant working with parents and their babies. Emotional problems during the perinatal stages can arise and be observed and addressed by a skilled midwife, nurse or health visitor. Salomonsson has developed a method combining nurse supervision and therapeutic consultations which has lowered the thresholds for parents to come and talk with him. The brief consultations concern pregnant women, mother and baby, husband and wife, toddler and parent. The theoretical framework is psychoanalytic, but the mode of work is eclectic and adapted to the family's situation and its members' motivation. This book details such work, which can be applied globally; perinatal psychotherapy integrated with ordinary medical health care. It also explains how psychotherapy can be made more accessible to a larger population. Via detailed case presentations, the author takes the reader through pregnancy, childbirth and the first few years of life. He also brings in research studies emphasizing the importance of early interventions, with the aim of providing therapists with arguments for such work in everyday family health care. To further substantiate such arguments, the book ends with theoretical chapters and, finally, the author's vision of the future of a perinatal health care that integrates medical and psychological perspectives. Psychodynamic Interventions in Pregnancy and Infancy will appeal to all psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists working in this area, as well as clinical psychologists, clinical social workers and medical personnel working with parents and infants.

This book is based on the experience of an European Network on Congenital Toxoplasmosis which associates more than 50 European specialized Centers from 17 diferent European Countries. Some American colleagues among the best specialists in the world also collaborate to this book which gives the most recent data on congenital toxoplasmosis in epidemiology, biology, clinical symptoms, diagnostic, treatment and prevention.

This book provides a highly practical atlas on the use of echocardiography by the neonatologist in the management of the neonate. Whilst recognising the limitations of the non-specialist in echocardiography, the lavish use of illustrations and practical advice will provide an excellent companion to those being trained in and applying this technique in the special care baby unit.Demonstrates how echocardiography can be used in the intensive care situation using clinical examples Superb illustrations with full explanatory text and practical adviceCongenital heart defects, the commonest serious congenital defect seen in the neonatal unit, can be difficult to distinguish clinically from pulmonary abnormalities; echocardiography allows the differential diagnosis to be made

This book has been written specifically for postgraduate students carrying out small-scale research projects in and around their work environments and for those undertaking research projects as part of their higher education courses. The book will also be useful to teachers, tutors, lecturers and trainers who want to use the concept of practitioner-based enquiry to enquire into their own institutional practices, and produce reports which can be submitted for academic credits leading to the award of certificates and degrees from universities and other professional bodies.

Each year in the United States, 250,000 infants are born too soon, weighing too little. For these low birth weight, premature infants, the future is uncertain, since they are at risk for a variety of serious medical and developmental problems--including behavioral and learning disorders that may have damaging effects for the rest of their lives. The extent to which a comprehensive early intervention program could improve or prevent these adverse outcomes was examined in the Infant Health and Development Program, a randomized controlled trial involving almost 1,000 infants in eight cities in the United States. This book describes in detail the program, its research methodology, the progress of the program, and the results of the clinical trial.
The program was administered by an interdisciplinary team composed of physicians, biostatisticians, child development specialists, and researchers from several disciplines. It was instituted upon the discharge of the infants from the neonatal nursery and was maintained for three years. One-third of the infants were randomly assigned to an intervention group, the remainder to a follow-up group. Infants in both groups received pediatric care and community referral services, but only those in the intervention group participated in a program that included extensive home visits, attendance at a child development center, and group meetings for parents.
The results of the program proved to be clinically important; at age three, the children in the intervention group had significantly higher IQ scores, greater cognitive development, and fewer behavioral problems. The implications of the findings for public policy are equally important, for there is increasing interest in the prevention, early detection, and management of developmental disabilities in children, as evidenced by such legislation as the Education for All Children Act. Strategies to minimize the problems of low birth weight children, with their potential for long-term savings through the prevention of disabilities and their attendant costs, could have significant repercussions in such governmental areas as medical care, education, and social welfare.

Fetal and Neonatal Secrets by Drs. Richard Polin and Alan Spitzer, uses the success formula of the highly popular Secrets Series to offer fast answers to the most essential clinical questions in fetal and neonatal medicine. With its user-friendly Q&A format, practical tips from neonatologists and fetal medicine experts, and "Key Points" boxes, this portable and easy-to-read medical reference book provides rapid access to the practical knowledge you need to succeed both in practice and on board and recertification exams. "Fetal and Neonatal Secrets is a book with an alternative setup that offers answers to a wide spectrum of clinical questions in the field of fetal and neonatal medicine. The book covers both fetal and neonatal medicine, and could be relevant for junior doctors aiming to become obstetricians or pediatricians." Reviewed by: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, January 2015 Get the evidence-based guidance you need to provide optimal care for your fetal and neonatal patients. Zero in on key fetal and neonatal information with a question and answer format, bulleted lists, mnemonics, and practical tips from the authors. Enhance your reference power with a two-color page layout, "Key Points" boxes, and lists of useful websites. Review essential material efficiently with the "Top 100 Secrets in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine" - perfect for last-minute study or self-assessment. Apply all the latest pediatric advances in clinical fetal neonatology techniques, technology, and pharmacology

The German verbs verwerfen, nicht implantieren or abtAten have the same denotations when used in reference to dealing with artificially-inseminated embryos; however, the meanings of these words are respectively different. The book examines, against the background of the debate about the introduction of pre-implantation diagnostics in Germany, the role of linguistic naminga " so-called thematizationsa " in the public sphere. The study shows that these thematizations not only reflect linguistic controversy, but at the same time, precisely mirror the current societal debates.