Midwives must, obstetricians may: Learning new ways to read guidelines
When you put people back into clinical guidelines you can see previously invisible assumptions.
Three strikes and you are out!
Three strikes and you are out! How a guideline meant to make maternity care safer undermined good communication.
More evidence that intermittent auscultation is safe and effective
More evidence supports the safety and effectiveness of intrapartum monitoring with intermittent auscultation.
Central fetal monitoring and the work of maternity clinicians
My doctoral thesis is now out from embargo and freely available. Reading a doctoral thesis is hardly everyone’s idea of a great way to spend an evening (or several), but if you do decide to read it let me know what you think!
Does training in intrapartum fetal monitoring actually work?
Tell me about CTG education in your part of the world. What does it look like? Is it mandatory?
Long-term cardiovascular outcomes of an abnormal fetal heart rate pattern in labour
Low oxygen levels in labour are considered to place the fetus at risk for permanent injury. One of the organs in the body that rely on high levels of oxygen supply is the heart. Physiological reflexes that manifest as CTG changes are, in part, protective for the fetal heart as they redirect blood from other parts of the body to the heart and brain. Historically, low oxygen levels in labour […]
New beginnings
This week marked the start of a new role for me. I have returned to full time clinical practice as a Director of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in a bustling regional town in New South Wales. This is a great opportunity for me to apply what I have learned as an educator and researcher to a clinical site. I am still coming to grips with what my working week will look […]
Are intrapartum fetal monitoring guidelines fit for purpose?
One of the core assumptions that must be true in order for CTG monitoring to reduce perinatal harm from low oxygen levels, is that there must be recognisable CTG patterns that clinicians can consistently identify, and that are strongly associated with low oxygen levels in the fetus. Measuring oxygenation directly is tricky so alternative measures are generally used instead. Typically, acidosis is measured as low oxygen levels switch metabolic processes […]
Gestational diabetes and CTG monitoring: What does the evidence say?
Is there evidence that #CTG monitoring for women with #GestationalDiabetes improves outcomes? #GDM
Does quality improvement improve quality in healthcare?
Aiming to provide care that is safe, effective, and acceptable to healthcare users is a fundamental cornerstone of healthcare services. A number of similar processes have been adopted in healthcare management, collectively known as continuous quality improvement. These processes aim to ensure that problems in care provision are identified, addressed, and resolved in a way that ensure continuous and ongoing improvements in the quality of care provided by healthcare services. […]
