Family-Centred Perinatal Care

Improving Pregnancy, Birth and Postpartum Care

Beverley Chalmers

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781316627952
• eBook ISBN: 9781316984307
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Gynecology, Obstetrics & Midwifery

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.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title
• Title page
• Copyright information
• Dedication
• Table of contents
• Preface
• Part I Overview
• Part II From Pregnancy to Parenthood
• Part III Practicing Family-Centred Care
• Part IV Meeting Professional Standards
• Part V An Unfinished Agenda
• Appendix: Family-Centred Care Monitoring Questions
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index