Introduction to Maternal & Children's Health Flashcards
A person’s ability to lead a fulfilling life & to participate fully in society depends largely on…
…his or her health status
What is a nurse’s role in women’s & children’s health?
Advocate in various issues
Draw attention to the importance of health care for children
Encouraging focus on education & prevention
Assisting families who lack resources or access to health care
Legal issues related to care of children
What services are integrated in maternity care?
Prenatal, intranatal, & postnatal
What type of care is encompassed in maternal & newborn nursing?
Care of the woman before pregnancy
Care of the woman and her fetus during pregnancy
Care of the woman & newborn after pregnancy (usually the first 6 weeks after birth)
What is the overall goal of maternal & newborn nursing?
Promote & maintain optimal health of the woman & her family
Providing quality maternity care includes…
…client satisfaction and achieving the best evidence-based outcomes w/ the fewest interventions
What does child/pediatric nursing involve?
It involves the care of the child from infancy to adolescence
What is the percentage of children under the age of 18 in the United States?
Accounts for 23% of the population (~73.7 million)
What was the overall trend of the percentage of children in the population?
Since the 1960s, children have decreased as a percentage of the U.S. population & are expected slowly decline through 2050
What is the overall goal of pediatric nursing practice?
Promote & assist the child in maintaining optimal levels of health, while recognizing the influence of the family on the child’s well-being
- Involves health promotion
- Disease & injury prevention
- Assist w/care during illness
What is the common thread of both maternity and pediatric nursing?
The care of the family
What were the common causes of death in women after childbirth during the 17th & 18th century?
Exhaustion, dehydration, infection, hemorrhage,
& seizures
What are the death rates of children before the age of 5 during the colonial period versus today?
Colonial Period: ~43% of all children before the age of 5
Today: 5.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births
Granny Midwives
Role: Handle the normal birthing process for most women
Learned their skills via apprenticeship from more experienced midwife
All births were done at home (physicians only called in extreme cases)
Obstetrics rose in the 1800s & midwifery went to the periphery; however, it has re-emerged as an organized profession
What is the effect of continuous companionship during labor on patient outcomes?
Improves patient outcomes
Children & Women Health in Late 19th Century & Early 20th Century
Root causes of illness were becoming better understood-> fuel public efforts for safer milk supply
- Pasteurizing milk & dispense free milk in some cities
Compulsory vaccination programs began at this time
- Mandated smallpox vaccine for school admittance
-> Decrease in infant & child deaths
Diseases such as diphtheria, cholera, polio, & yellow fever began to take less of a toll on children
Penicillin, corticosteroids, & increased number of vaccines (developed during this time) assisted w/the fight against communicable diseases
- Unintended injuries surpassed death caused by disease
Maternity Care in 1900’s
Physicians attended about half of the births in the U.S.
Midwives often cared for patients who could not afford a physician
Women were attracted to the hospitals to show affluence & receive pain management (unavailable in home births)
1950’s: “Natural Childbirth” practices, advocating birth w/out pain meds, & focus on relaxation methods were introduced
- Opened the door for childbirth education classes & reintroduce the father to the childbirth process
What is the number one cause of death among people between the ages of 1-44 year olds?
Unintentional injuries
The Effect of Technological Advances on Child Health Care?
Increased survival rates in children but, those that survived previously fatal diseases are left w/ chronic disabilities
Ex) Before the 1960s, premature infants died due to lung immaturity. Newer ventilation methods & med use to foster lung development -> chronic lung disease, retinopathy, etc
Increased survivability has resulted in a significant increase in chronic illness relative to acute illness as a cause of hospitalization and mortality
Chronic Diseases
Illnesses that last more than 3 months & cannot be prevented by vaccination, cured by medicine, & do not disappear
What is the current percentage of American children suffering from one or more chronic illnesses today?
More than 54% of American children are suffering from one or more chronic illnesses today
Recent Advances in Biomedicine Effect on Trends
Created a trend toward earlier diagnosis & treatment
Genetics have been linked w/ pathophysiological processes
Ex) Female fetuses diagnosed w/ congenital adrenal hyperplasia leading to disfiguring anatomic abnormalities of sexual characteristics are able to receive treatment before birth
- Early genetic defect identification allows for appropriate counseling
Also, a number of organizations have been formed to protect children’s rights
- Focus on violence and abuse, child soldiering and labor, juvenile justice, child immigrants, homeless, abandoned children
Certain health concerns, such as poor nutrition, obesity, infections, lead poisoning, digestive issues, & asthma affect ___ children at higher rates & w/greater severity than _____ & ____ class children
Poor children are affected at higher rates & severity than affluent & middle-class children
~ 1 in 5 children today live in families w/incomes below the poverty line
Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
They have postgraduate training in the care of normal pregnancy & delivery
Certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM)
Midwife
Primary care provider for women w/a special emphasis on pregnancy, childbirth, & reproductive health
Committed to providing ethical, individualized, evidence-based care for all women throughout their life-cycle
Doula
Non-medical birth companion who provides continuous emotional, physical, & educational support to the woman & family during childbirth & postpartum period
They do NOT perform clinical or medical tasks
-They are there to support the mother & enhance communication between the mother and medical staff
Mortality
Incidence or number of people who have died over a specific period
Presented as rates over 100,000 & is calculated from a sample of death certificates
Maternal Mortality Ratio
Annual number of deaths from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management
Fetal Mortality Rate
AKA Fetal Death Rate
Spontaneous intrauterine death of a fetus at any time during pregnancy prior to birth/ 100,000 live births