Family-Centred Perinatal Care : Improving Pregnancy, Birth and Postpartum Care

Family-centred care is a familiar phrase in today's maternity services, with professional guidelines and hospital policies including the term in their care protocols. However, few definitions or standards exist. This book clearly defines family-centred perinatal care and outlines how it should be implemented, with international examples.

"Since childbirth became a medicalized - and usually hospitalized - event a century ago, women''s and families'' psychosocial needs have been relegated to a somewhat peripheral role within the clinically focussed hierarchy of medical care. This text reinstates psychosocial issues as a primary focus of care, together with clinical excellence. Family-centred care is a familiar phrase in today''s maternity services, with professional guidelines and hospital policies including the term in their care protocols; however, few definitions, and no specific standards, for family-centred care exist. While all caregivers and care services are likely to define their care as sensitive to women''s needs, and family-centred, the actual implementation of a family-centred approach - despite it being a current fashion in care - is still inadequate. This book clearly defines family-centred perinatal care, and outlines how truly family-centred care can, and should, be implemented, and how, and where, this has been done"--Provided by publisher.