UK Wedding News
24/06/2016
Current statistics reveal that one in 10,000 pregnancies in the UK and Ireland results in the death of the mother. A 2014 MBRRACE-UK report into maternity care in the UK and Ireland, found that 32% of these deaths were a direct consequence of complications during pregnancy (such as pre-eclampsia or bleeding), 68% were the result of indirect medical and mental health problems.
Indirect causes of maternal death during or shortly after pregnancy included cardiac conditions (23%), influenza and pneumonia (14%), deep vein thrombosis (11%), neurological conditions such as stroke or epilepsy (11%), and mental health problems resulting in suicide (9%).
Three quarters of women who died had a previous history of medical or mental health problems.
The new project is being led by leadership fellow Dr Rebecca Northridge, the Royal Colleges, in partnership with other medical organisations. They have produced a video, It's Better To Ask: Working Together to Prevent Maternal Mortality, to help doctors assess unwell pregnant or post-partum women in the hope of reducing the number of maternal deaths in the UK.
It advises doctors to enhance inter-specialty communication and team work as they are crucial to preventing maternal death; never assume that symptoms are just caused by pregnancy; specifically search for cardiac causes of persistent breathlessness or chest pain; and 'red flag' pregnant and post-partum women who arrive at hospital complaining of ill health and make sure they are assessed by senior doctors and obstetricians before discharge.
They are also advised to never stop a woman's medication, such as anti-epileptic drugs, without seeking expert advice; provide an urgent phone referral for women who experience worsening epilepsy or a first seizure in pregnancy; familiarise themselves with their patient's medical history including any pre-existing medical or mental health conditions; and to pay particular attention to women from complex social backgrounds when assessing for potential mental health problems.
Commenting on the project, Professor David Galloway, President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, said: "I am very pleased that our College has contributed in advancing this vitally important message. Preventable death, wherever it occurs, is a tragedy.
"The strong messages which particularly relate to indirect causes of maternal mortality deserve wide publicity. We should aspire to the dramatic improvement that has already been achieved in the maternal death rate from complications directly related to pregnancy and delivery."
Professor Hazel Scott, Honorary Secretary of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, added: "When patients who are pregnant or have been recently pregnant present unwell, all clinicians, whether they are physicians, specialists in A&E, or obstetricians and midwives, need to pick up the phone and work across disciplines to improve outcomes."
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) College President, Dr David Richmond, said: "While the number of women dying from complications directly associated with pregnancy has fallen, it is clear that we still face a challenge of further reducing the maternal death rate in the UK, particularly deaths caused by pre-existing conditions that are not directly related to pregnancy, such as mental health problems, epilepsy, heart disease or cancer.
"RCOG welcomes this new innovative resource, which encourages doctors and midwives to 'red flag' unwell pregnant women. Raising awareness of symptoms and providing healthcare professionals with advice for better assessment of pregnant and postpartum women who are feeling unwell, is crucial in the fight to prevent the unfortunate deaths that occur during and after pregnancy in the UK."
(JP)
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Call For New Measures To Prevent Maternal Deaths
Experts from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) have said that more needs to be done to prevent maternal deaths from causes not directly linked to pregnancy and childbirth.Current statistics reveal that one in 10,000 pregnancies in the UK and Ireland results in the death of the mother. A 2014 MBRRACE-UK report into maternity care in the UK and Ireland, found that 32% of these deaths were a direct consequence of complications during pregnancy (such as pre-eclampsia or bleeding), 68% were the result of indirect medical and mental health problems.
Indirect causes of maternal death during or shortly after pregnancy included cardiac conditions (23%), influenza and pneumonia (14%), deep vein thrombosis (11%), neurological conditions such as stroke or epilepsy (11%), and mental health problems resulting in suicide (9%).
Three quarters of women who died had a previous history of medical or mental health problems.
The new project is being led by leadership fellow Dr Rebecca Northridge, the Royal Colleges, in partnership with other medical organisations. They have produced a video, It's Better To Ask: Working Together to Prevent Maternal Mortality, to help doctors assess unwell pregnant or post-partum women in the hope of reducing the number of maternal deaths in the UK.
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It advises doctors to enhance inter-specialty communication and team work as they are crucial to preventing maternal death; never assume that symptoms are just caused by pregnancy; specifically search for cardiac causes of persistent breathlessness or chest pain; and 'red flag' pregnant and post-partum women who arrive at hospital complaining of ill health and make sure they are assessed by senior doctors and obstetricians before discharge.
They are also advised to never stop a woman's medication, such as anti-epileptic drugs, without seeking expert advice; provide an urgent phone referral for women who experience worsening epilepsy or a first seizure in pregnancy; familiarise themselves with their patient's medical history including any pre-existing medical or mental health conditions; and to pay particular attention to women from complex social backgrounds when assessing for potential mental health problems.
Commenting on the project, Professor David Galloway, President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, said: "I am very pleased that our College has contributed in advancing this vitally important message. Preventable death, wherever it occurs, is a tragedy.
"The strong messages which particularly relate to indirect causes of maternal mortality deserve wide publicity. We should aspire to the dramatic improvement that has already been achieved in the maternal death rate from complications directly related to pregnancy and delivery."
Professor Hazel Scott, Honorary Secretary of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, added: "When patients who are pregnant or have been recently pregnant present unwell, all clinicians, whether they are physicians, specialists in A&E, or obstetricians and midwives, need to pick up the phone and work across disciplines to improve outcomes."
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) College President, Dr David Richmond, said: "While the number of women dying from complications directly associated with pregnancy has fallen, it is clear that we still face a challenge of further reducing the maternal death rate in the UK, particularly deaths caused by pre-existing conditions that are not directly related to pregnancy, such as mental health problems, epilepsy, heart disease or cancer.
"RCOG welcomes this new innovative resource, which encourages doctors and midwives to 'red flag' unwell pregnant women. Raising awareness of symptoms and providing healthcare professionals with advice for better assessment of pregnant and postpartum women who are feeling unwell, is crucial in the fight to prevent the unfortunate deaths that occur during and after pregnancy in the UK."
(JP)
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