Midwifery continuity of care for remote women: the central Australian experience
Midwifery continuity of care for remote women: the central Australian experience Conference Paper
12th National Rural Health Conference: Strong Commitment Bright Future
- Author(s): Raelene Carroll, Bernadette Lack
- Published: 2013
Abstract: The Alice Springs Hospital (ASH) is a 189-bed specialist teaching Hospital situated in the Red Centre of Australia. The population in this area is dispersed over 1.6 million square kilometres. This creates unique and rewarding challenges in the delivery of a diverse range of comprehensive health services. The ASH Maternity Unit consists of 16 antenatal and/or postnatal beds and four birth suites. It is attached to a level-two Special Care Nursery. On average, there are 850 births per annum and approximately 60% of these births are from Aboriginal women who reside either in Alice Springs or remote Aboriginal communities. Prior to 2009 women in these rural and remote areas accessed maternity care through the hospital, GPs, remote primary health care centres and Congress-Alukura. A critical gap however existed in these services as they lacked continuity of both care and carer throughout a woman’s antenatal, labour, birth and postpartum journey, particularly for women living in remote communities.
- Urls: https://www.ruralhealth.org.au/12nrhc/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Carroll-Raelene_Lack-Bernadette_ppr.pdf
- Publisher Location: Adelaide