[Nurse-midwives and adolescents: the South Carolina experiment].
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While oral contraceptives have been widely available in rural Thailand since their distribution by lower level paramedical health workers was authorized in 1970, the IUD has been restricted to large, urban clinics staffed by physicians. A study was conducted in 1972-73 to evaluate the performance of nurse-midwives in IUD (Copper T) insertion and to assess the reaction of acceptors and the likely effects on the National Family Planning Program. It was found that nurse-midwives were competent to insert Copper Ts and handle early complications. Acceptor continuation rates were very high and nurse-midwife acceptors clearly preferred IUD insertion by a female health worker. Programmatic evidence suggests that using nurse-midwives more extensively for Copper T insertion would increase IUD acceptance at no cost to the existing loop program.
Nurse-midwives provide the bulk of maternal and child health care in the Caribbean Area. Their contribution over the years has been a major one, and as national health programs have become more comprehensive, so too have nurse-midwives' roles and functions.
This report includes data on insertions of Lippes Loop D, Copper-7, and Copper-T intrauterine devices (IUDs) performed by certified nurse-midwives and physicians with comparable levels of training and experience in inserting IUDs. Net 1-year pregnancy, expulsion, and removal rates were used to compare the experiences of the 2 groups. There were no significant differences between the groups in most of the event rates or in the overall method discontinuation rates. The authors conclude that, with adequate training and experience, nurse-midwives can provide this family planning service with no additional risk to patients.
In Iran, a traditional rural midwife is allowed to perform pelvic exams and insert IUD'S under conditions of almost total independence after she has received one month of intensive training in the procedures. The present study compared two groups containing 232 village women each, matched for age and parity. One group had IUDs inserted by rural midwives and the other by physicians or nurse-midwives at ubran clinics. The one-year and two-year closure rates for the two groups were very similar, as were the net closure rates for various categories of termination. No cases of severe complication were known to have occurred in either series. This evidence indicates that a rural midwife, following short, intensive training in the technique, can insert IUDs as safely and effectively as physicians and nurse-midwives.
Medical missionaries, historically the pioneers in introducing Western medicine into many tropical countries, are today responsible for a significant proportion of health care in several of those countries. Illustrating his theme with references to personal experiences in the former Belgian Congo, the author enlarges on the organization of a church-related comprehensive health care programme based on a chain of rural health centres and satellite dispensaries that brought curative and preventive medicine to the whole population within the area covered. Trypanosomiasis was eradicated, yaws and tuberculosis controlled, cerebral malaria eliminated, worm-loads reduced and nutrition improved. Leprosy was treated within the integrated service as soon as the sulphones became available. Medical auxiliaries and nurse-midwives were trained practically to tackle the local problems. Students from many missions over a wide area went into government, mission and company employ after training. Research concentrated mainly on the solution of pressing local problems, such as onchocerciasis and leprosy, but incidentally investigated interesting clinical phenomena.
In this discussion we have presented findings from a study of patient acceptance of a nurse-midwife. The significance of the initial encounter for patient acceptance has been interpreted in terms of a primacy effect. The negative effect of the obstetrician's presence during initial encounters between patient and nurse-midwife has been discussed in terms of expectation theory. The theory leads us to predict that the patient's perceptions of competence of the nurse-midwife were more favorable when the obstetrician was absent from the initial encounter than when he was present. Finally we have interpreted the overall ease of communication between the nurse-midwife and patients as a result of mutual participation, and complementary rather than crossed interactions. This ease of communication is a major factor accounting for the general enthusiasm of patients for the nurse-midwife in the provision of office care. The importance of interpersonal relationships between health professionals and patients for effective patient care cannot be overstated. Romano has stressed the importance of the doctor-patient relationship in obstetrics and gynecology because of the many anxieties and concerns of women concerning their health problems. Hopefully, our findings will encourage physicians to explore the role of mid-level health professionals and particularly nurse-midwives in enhancing the overall quality of health care for women.
The changing fashions in childbirth over the past 200 years are related to the present demand by women and their partners for "participatory" childbirth, including homebirth. The argument is advanced that doctors must be responsive to these changes. The opinion is made that home birth is currently inappropriate, but that hospitals should provide "birth centres"; and that obstetrics should be conducted by a "team", in which nurse-midwives and family doctors play as important a role as specialist obstetricians.
A number of reports have noted the trend toward home deliveries. With the aim of providing an alternative to unattended home delivery, an out-of-hospital unit for women at low medical risk was opened in New York City in October 1975. Physical care is provided by a team of nurse-midwives, obstetricians, pediatricians, and ancillary health personnel. Childbirth education is an integral part of the program. Women are carefully screened both initially and during the course of pregnancy, and transfers are made to hospital services when required. In the first 31 months of the program, 244 births were managed in the unit. No life-threatening emergencies have occurred. Experience to date indicates that a unit of this kind can safely offer care to a low-risk obstetric population.
This is a report from a hospital in Ethiopia, the only hospital for a tribe of about 1 million people. With a capacity of 50 beds, about 3,000 in patients per annum plus outpatient department and 5 outposts of about 70,000 patients per annum. Considering the variety of severe and complicated cases in any field of medicine (obstetrics, major and minor surgery, internal medicine dealing with tropical, infectious, helminthic and ophthalmic diseases, etc.), a female staff of 2 physicians, 1 pharmacist, 1 laboratory assistant and a total of 6 nurse-midwives is completely insufficient. None of the more than 50 native employees is in possession of a nursing diploma as a result of poor school education. In therapy, penicillin still plays the role of a miracle drug.