Shared Obstetric Care- A Comprehensive Overview

Pregnancy is blissful. But its care is challenging. Obstetrics is a branch of medicine and surgery pertaining to childbirth and the care of expecting women. When it comes to shared obstetric care, it refers to an integrated model of healthcare. Simply put, it is associated with the comprehensive prenatal and postnatal care of an expecting mother.

Since it’s about care, it may involve different healthcare providers, like general practitioners (GPs), obstetricians, midwives, and other healthcare specialists. Together, they assure that pregnant women can have a smooth pregnancy journey. That’s why these healthcare professionals coordinated throughout this journey.

According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 30% of pregnancies in high-income countries leverage shared obstetric care. Consider the case of Australia. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) issued a report stating that around 25% of pregnant women receive shared obstetric care.

Considering the aim and aforementioned facts related to shared obstetric care, it is to optimize maternal and foetal health results through the combination of various healthcare experts. In this post, you will explore various reasons, challenges, benefits, and a lot more things associated with shared obstetric care. So, let’s get started.

Principles of Shared Obstetric Care

This kind of care is based on core principles, which are the following:

1. Collaborative Approach: A collaborative approach requires many healthcare providers to work together. As part of shared care, it is necessary to share reports, health status, and other responsibilities related to the wellbeing of a pregnant woman.

1. Continuity of Care: Continuity of care is the next principle that ensures pregnant women receive consistent healthcare from a team of healthcare specialists without any delays or gaps.
2. Personalized Care: The third principle is based on tailored healthcare services. A pregnant woman may have different needs, that need to be addressed in time.
3. Accessibility: This is a crucial principle that defines accessibility for doctors and specialists. Together with specialized obstetric care, primary care is also integrated for them.
4. Supportive Environment: Last but not least, these women need emotional, physical, and informational support. So, the doctors must provide them from time to time.

The Process of Shared Obstetric Care

For every type of medical care, there is a defined process. In the case of pregnancy, doctors also follow this structured process:

1. Initial Assessment: At the beginning of this journey, the patient should go through a medical examination by a GP or midwife. However, there are certain things to confirm pregnancy. But confirmation from a doctor or healthcare expert is necessary. It may need certain preliminary tests to be conducted.
2. Referral to Obstetrician: The initial examination sets the stage for further evaluation. So, the doctor refers her to an obstetrician for the next-level planning and health assessment. 
3. Collaborative Care Plan: Then, the gynecologist prepares a collaborative care plan. It clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of each healthcare specialist.
4. Regular Check-Ups: Regular check-ups are essential during this sensitive phase of a woman’s life. The pregnant woman should get her health examination done with her GP, midwife, and obstetrician. These checkups ensure continuous monitoring of her and her baby’s health.
5. Specialized Care: This step is for sensitive cases where complications arise. The obstetrician and other relevant specialists provide extensive care in these cases. 
6. Postnatal Care: This care is associated with postpartum care. Doctors and healthcare specialists coordinate to support the mother and her infant’s health.

Benefits of Shared Obstetric Care

This kind of care brings a lot of benefits to the patient. Here are a few advantages:

1. Improved Maternal and Foetal Outcomes: Shared obstetric care provides improved maternal and foetal health. A study published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology revealed that women provided with shared care showed lower rates of premature births and low weight infants as compared to those who receive standard care. It indicates how beneficial this care is.

Many studies have proven that this shared care has a positive impact on maternal and neonatal treatments and results. Another meta-analysis report published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Review made the discovery that women receiving shared care had a 15% lower risk of preterm birth and a 12% lower risk of low weight infants as compared to those who receive standard care.

1. Continuity and Consistency: The second benefit is associated with the second principle, which is to receive continuous and consistent care. A team of healthcare providers consistently stays active to ensure that the pregnant woman consistently receives comprehensive and coordinated care during pregnancy. This kind of continuous coordination reduces the chances of miscommunication, which can be seen through improved quality of care.
2. Access to Comprehensive Care: Comprehensive care requires a shared approach, which ensures access to integrated primary care and specialized obstetric care. This approach helps in providing appropriate treatments and timely interventions when any complications emerge or are likely to emerge.
3. Personalized and Patient-Centered Care: Since this care system involves collaborative efforts, it focuses on personalizing care plans according to the unique needs of each pregnant woman. This patient-centric approach brings satisfaction and healthy outcomes for each pregnant woman because she receives care as she prefers and shows concern.

For sure, patients should be satisfied with the medical care. It indicates how successful the care is. A survey conducted by the National Maternity and Perinatal Audit (NMPA) in the UK revealed that 85% of women receiving it reportedly had high levels of satisfaction, as compared to 75% of women getting standard care. 

1. Enhanced Support and Education: The first experience of pregnancy leaves a woman stressed. Shared care helps her receive shared care, which educates and assists her a lot. The collaborative team educates here about how to take care of herself during the prenatal stage, how to get prepared for childbirth and breastfeed, and also about postpartum. This education guides her to make appropriate decisions.
2. Reduced Healthcare Costs: This care can minimize the overall healthcare cost. This is simply because it helps in overcoming existing and prospective complications, which ultimately minimizes the need for emergency medical interventions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) reported that shared pregnancy care approaches enable patients to bear minimal cost. It significantly saves a large part of maternal and neonatal healthcare expenditures.

Overall, this kind of pregnancy care is proving cost-effective. The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) in the United States found that shared care models minimize hospital readmission rates by 20%, which means that they save hundreds of dollars in all. 

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Challenges of Shared Obstetric Care

It is not easy to receive complete care seamlessly. There may be multiple barriers that make it difficult to leverage obstetric care.

1. Coordination and Communication: It is easier said than done that shared care brings a coordinated approach. Effective coordination and communication among gynecologists, general practitioners, and other support providers are crucial so that pregnancy can be successful without complications. However, maintaining seamless communication is not easy, especially when multiple professionals are involved and the care plan is complicated.
2. Resource Allocation: For specific care, adequate resources, such as trained healthcare professionals, infrastructure, and technology, must be available. However, obtaining and equally distributing these resources can be an uphill battle, specifically in underserved areas.

1. Consistency in Care Quality: Providing treatment and care is easy. But ensuring quality consistently across different providers may be difficult. Simply put, care quality can be high or low due to differences in training, experiences, and practice protocols or standards for coordinating healthcare professionals.
2. Patient Preferences and Acceptance: In some cases, pregnant women may prefer traditional methods over modern care plans. The reason can be a hesitation to engage with different healthcare professionals. Sometimes, it becomes a necessity to address patient preferences. Despite being a must-have, fostering acceptance of shared care seems challenging.

Case Studies and Real-World Examples

Here are some proven case studies that establish the fact that shared care for pregnant women actually works well. It shows results that speak louder. 

1. Australia: Australia is a country where shared obstetric care is widely accepted and preferred because these are national guidelines. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RANXCOG) supports a shared care approach. It focuses on the significance of more and more collaborations between GPs, midwives, and obstetricians. Another study that was conducted in Victoria revealed that this kind of approach encourages access toantenatal shared care, reducing the number of adverse pregnancy results or outcomes.

1. United Kingdom: The UK National Health Service (NHS) has also routed the system of shared obstetric care to make its maternity care services better. It also launched a program called the NHS Maternity Transformation Programme to make personalized and coordinated care accessible through this shared care model. In this regard, a pilot program was introduced in London, which reported a 10% reduction in caesarean section delivery rates and a 15% increase in breastfeeding initiation rates among women who received this care.
2. Canada: Considering the case of Canada, this shared care system is integrated into its healthcare system. And for its successful regulation, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada drafted its guidelines. In Ontario, a study was also conducted that showed some outstanding results from shared care models. The improvement was observed in access to prenatal care. Women witnessed reduced maternal stress. Overall, this model produced satisfactory results.

Future Directions and Innovations

As far as the future is concerned, shared obstetric care emerges as the most promising medical care for women. Innovations are taking place that further improve the overall health of the mother and foetal. In the present scenario, medical science is focused on these evolutions:

1. Telemedicine and Digital Health: The revolutionary changes in digital technologies have also impacted the medicine world. The integration of telemedicine and digital health technologies into shared obstetric care is common, which can actually enhance access to shared care. This will be a big initiative for women living in remote and underserved areas. This facility helps in providing virtual consultations and virtual monitoring from remote regions. Mobile health applications are and can prove a milestone in facilitating communication and coordination among healthcare professionals for pregnant women.
2. Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Analytics: Artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics are known for their potential to foresee and automate repetitive tasks. Obstetricians will also analyze large-scale healthcare reports of pregnant women. It will help in identifying risk factors swiftly while predicting complications. Accordingly, providing personalized care plans will be way easier. Moreover, it will help in detecting any concern and intervening timely.
3. Community-Based Care Models: Like Australia, the UK, and Canada, a community-based shared care approach will be integrated within its healthcare system. For sure, local resources and support networks will be used. This kind of arrangement can enhance the accessibility of shared care facilities, reducing healthcare gaps. Also, the community can be engaged in maternal health.

Enhanced Training and Education: People need training and education regarding healthcare updates and arrangements. It certainly involves shared obstetric care, which is a must-have for pregnant women to maintain high standards of care. In the future, the trend will continue with simulation training, interprofessional education, and certification programs. With these, healthcare professionals will be able to enhance their skills and knowledge with consistency and quality.

Conclusion

Shared obstetric care is based on collaboration and a patient-centric approach, which is mainly associated with the prenatal and postnatal stages. The pregnancy journey is challenging, but with shared care plans, it can be smooth and healthy.

Integrating the expertise of various healthcare experts like GPs, midwives, and other healthcare professionals, shared care models can significantly contribute to improving maternal and fetal health. These models can also improve patient satisfaction by overcoming challenges through a collaborative approach and appropriate resource allocation.

There are multiple benefits, and many case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of these plans. That’s why futuristic professionals are emphasizing the inclusion of telemedicine facilities, AI, and community-based care.