Midwifery Continuity of Care is a robust ‘how to’ guide to establishing midwifery continuity of care. Written by a team of international experts in their field, this book highlights lessons learned to help develop new ways of planning, implementing, evaluating and sustaining midwifery continuity of care for the benefit of women, babies and communities. Summarises the evidence for midwifery continuity of care to support policy makers, commissioners of maternity services and health service executives with their implementation of midwifery continuity of care Practical real world examples, stories and experiences to bring to life the diversity of ways that midwifery continuity of care can be implemented Highlights a range of issues for managers and leaders to be aware of, including organisational, industrial and safety and quality issues Explores how building alliances can enable midwifery continuity of care to flourish, addressing scaling up and sustainability Evolve Student and Faculty Resources: eBook on VitalSource An inspirational video interview with author, Jane Sandall

The “Transitioning to Midwifery Models of Care: Global Position Paper” is a comprehensive document produced by the World Health Organization (WHO) Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent health and ageing, under the Strategic Technical Advisory Group of Experts for Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent health and nutrition (STAGE), in collaboration with WHO technical departments, regional offices and numerous stakeholders. In the pursuit of providing high-quality health services to improve health and well-being for all in the context of Universal Health Coverage, transitioning to midwifery models of care represents a cost-effective strategy to optimize outcomes for women and newborns with minimal use of unnecessary interventions. This position paper offers an international definition, describes the guiding principles of midwifery models of care and reviews the advantages of adopting these models of care. It highlights the significant role and impact that midwives can have within health systems, while recognizing the importance of collaborative and integrated care where various professionals jointly contribute to providing high-quality maternal and newborn health services.

The delivery of high quality and equitable care for both mothers and newborns is complex and requires efforts across many sectors. The United States spends more on childbirth than any other country in the world, yet outcomes are worse than other high-resource countries, and even worse for Black and Native American women. There are a variety of factors that influence childbirth, including social determinants such as income, educational levels, access to care, financing, transportation, structural racism and geographic variability in birth settings. It is important to reevaluate the United States' approach to maternal and newborn care through the lens of these factors across multiple disciplines. Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice reviews and evaluates maternal and newborn care in the United States, the epidemiology of social and clinical risks in pregnancy and childbirth, birth settings research, and access to and choice of birth settings.

Continuity of care in midwifery – the most traditional way of practising – has been overlooked for much of the last century but is re-emerging as an evidence-based model of care, one which is known to benefit women. This book is a vital companion to students and qualified midwives as continuity of care is integrated into midwifery education and services. A practical, easy-to-read guide to practising caseload midwifery, this book outlines the contemporary political and professional context for midwifery care, different models of care, and the evidence and outcomes associated with continuity of carer. It discusses the real-life concerns, challenges and opportunities of working closely with women throughout their pregnancy and birth, covering key issues such as risk assessment, consent, boundaries, time management, documentation, communication, burnout and decision-making. Supporting the development of midwives from students to newly qualified professionals and beyond, it ends with a chapter containing a range of resources for reference, including helpful tools and worksheets. Including vignettes from students, qualified midwives, and women and their partners, this book is designed for anyone new to practising midwifery continuity of care.

Environmental awareness and sustainability are vitally important concepts in the twenty first century and, as a low environmental impact healthcare profession, midwifery has the potential to stand as a model of excellence. This innovative volume promotes a sustainable approach to midwifery practice, philosophy, business administration and resource management. Drawing on an interdisciplinary body of knowledge, this international collection of experts explores the challenges, inviting readers to critically reflect on the issues and consider how they could move to effect changes within their own working environments. Divided into three parts, the book discusses: The politics of midwifery and sustainability Midwifery as a sustainable healthcare practice Supporting an ecological approach to parenting. Sustainability, Midwifery and Birth identifies existing models of sustainable midwifery practice, such as the continuity of care model, and highlights the potential for midwifery as a role model for ecologically sound health care provision. This unique book is a vital read for all midwives and midwifery students interested in sustainable practice. Contributors include: Sally Baddock, Carol Bartle, Ruth Deery, Nadine Pilley Edwards, Ina May Gaskin, Megan Gibbons, Carolyn Hastie, Mary Kensington, Mavis Kirkham, Nicky Leap, Ruth Martis, Zoë Meleo-Erwin, Jenny Meyer, Jo Murphy-Lawless, Mary Nolan, Sally Pairman and Sally Tracy.

The Future of Nursing explores how nurses' roles, responsibilities, and education should change significantly to meet the increased demand for care that will be created by health care reform and to advance improvements in America's increasingly complex health system. At more than 3 million in number, nurses make up the single largest segment of the health care work force. They also spend the greatest amount of time in delivering patient care as a profession. Nurses therefore have valuable insights and unique abilities to contribute as partners with other health care professionals in improving the quality and safety of care as envisioned in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enacted this year. Nurses should be fully engaged with other health professionals and assume leadership roles in redesigning care in the United States. To ensure its members are well-prepared, the profession should institute residency training for nurses, increase the percentage of nurses who attain a bachelor's degree to 80 percent by 2020, and double the number who pursue doctorates. Furthermore, regulatory and institutional obstacles-including limits on nurses' scope of practice-should be removed so that the health system can reap the full benefit of nurses' training, skills, and knowledge in patient care. In this book, the Institute of Medicine makes recommendations for an action-oriented blueprint for the future of nursing.

"It is very exciting to see all of these studies compiled in one book. It can be read sequentially or just for certain transitions. It also can be used as a template for compilation of other concepts central to nursing and can serve as a resource for further studies in transitions. It is an excellent addition to the nursing literature." Score: 95, 4 Stars. --Doody's "Understanding and recognizing transitions are at the heart of health care reform and this current edition, with its numerous clinical examples and descriptions of nursing interventions, provides important lessons that can and should be incorporated into health policy. It is a brilliant book and an important contribution to nursing theory." Kathleen Dracup, RN, DNSc Dean and Professor, School of Nursing University of California San Francisco Afaf Meleis, the dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, presents for the first time in a single volume her original "transitions theory" that integrates middle-range theory to assist nurses in facilitating positive transitions for patients, families, and communities. Nurses are consistently relied on to coach and support patients going through major life transitions, such as illness, recovery, pregnancy, old age, and many more. A collection of over 50 articles published from 1975 through 2007 and five newly commissioned articles, Transitions Theory covers developmental, situational, health and illness, organizational, and therapeutic transitions. Each section includes an introduction written by Dr. Meleis in which she offers her historical and practical perspective on transitions. Many of the articles consider the transitional experiences of ethnically diverse patients, women, the elderly, and other minority populations. Key Topics Discussed: Situational transitions, including discharge and relocation transitions (hospital to home, stroke recovery) and immigration transitions (psychological adaptation and impact of migration on family health) Educational transitions, including professional transitions (from RN to BSN and student to professional) Health and illness transitions, including self-care post heart failure, living with chronic illness, living with early dementia, and accepting palliative care Organization transitions, including role transitions from acute care to collaborative practice, and hospital to community practice Nursing therapeutics models of transition, including role supplementation models and debriefing models