Medical Issues and Treatment Overview on Perinatal care

Medical Issues and Treatment Overview on Perinatal care

Perinatal is the period immediately before birth, during and after birth. While prenatal solemnly refers to the period before birth. A lot of women die due to complications during pregnancy or at childbirth. A lot of these deaths can be avoided by medical intervention as the main problem is the lack of proper care for women during the perinatal period. Medical issues may arise as a result of these leading to maternal mortality, poor reproductive health, poor maternal health, perinatal depression, and increased neonatal deaths. All which can be avoided or reduced by proper maternal care during pregnancy and more so during the perinatal period.

Medical treatment is very vital to both the fetus and the mother. The proper medical treatment goes a long way in ensuring both the safety and good health of both of them. Children exposed to medication during pregnancy and breastfeeding suffer from apprehension. It is essential to consult a doctor during this period to know the right drugs to use without affecting the fetus or worse, terminating it. During the perinatal period, the mood disorder is pervasive and should be treated, both unipolar and bipolar. During any treatment that might occur during this period, it is of importance to assess the impact of lifestyle factors and individual psychosocial stressors on response to the procedure.

Four mental health disorders are pervasive during the perinatal period. These are; bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, depression and psychotic disorder and postpartum psychosis. Women with a family history of mental disorder are encouraged to make arrangements for their pregnancy. Women who suffer from the chronic disease should be part of the decision making with her health care providers, before and after birth, contemplate referral to a psychiatrist throughout the prenatal period to help with treatment preparation and observation of the woman’s mental health status. Women in need of psychotropic medications in the perinatal period: encourage well-versed decision-making by conversing the risks and profits of medicines as well as the risks of not handling symptoms with the woman by treating them. Include partners and other family members in making decisions where and whenever appropriate.

Psychosocial Overview on Perinatal

Psychosocial health comprises of emotional, mental, social and spiritual health dimensions. Overview of psychosocial issues related to prenatal care includes socioeconomic conditions that are poor such as poverty, general health inequalities, lack of social support, a history of either personal or familial mental illness and domestic violence, all of which can impact a pregnant woman’s decision to exploit health care. Prenatal care should commence with a complete risk valuation and development of a strategy to respond to psychosocial complications or identified risks. These efforts may be attained through activities the primary breadwinner initiates or through referral or use of communal services. The influence of psychosocial dangers to adverse pregnancy results approaches to risk valuation, management and prevention strategies.

Women with depressive signs of psychosocial illness are more likely than other women

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To report sexual abuse, financial instability, substance abuse, physical problems, and anxiety.

Given the significant role of primary health care and the effect of psychosocial issues on health

care, many men have difficulties dealing with aggression towards others while women are more

Likely to suffer violence. A woman at a prenatal stage is more prone to all these effects of

psychosocial issues hence treatment is mandatory as it affects the baby. ‘Counseling’ is a

Recognized psychological therapy that helps to deal with the issue. Other forms of treatment

include cognitive conduct therapy which exposes the patient to a better choice, and substitutes

can is initiated for patients who either do not profit from average treatments or who do not find

Them satisfactory. Counselling is active within a short time hence

It is recommended for primary care.

Perinatal Role of a Social Worker

Perinatal social workers job is to support maternal and their families as they go through.

medical hardship, access community support and internalize complex facts about

Pregnancies and neonates (birth to age 1). Perinatal social workers also help with preparation and

Cultivation of hope as families move towards their future. In other words, they are engaged in diversity.

of settings, perinatal social workers help maternal, communities, and families,  respond to

psychosocial issues that arise during the period from pre-pregnancy through an infant’s first year

Of life. Pregnancies can be very thrilling and a period of pure joy; however, they can also be

Frightening and tumultuous. Family’s socio-cultural situation, medical conditions, and doubt,

may all challenge the ability to enjoy the gestation and give delivery to a child who can flourish.

Such issues can influence the perinatal period as premature or sick newborns,

medically high-risk pregnancies, fetal diagnosis, family conflicts, drug use by the pregnant

woman and her family, parents who have cognitive, behavioural and mental health needs,

legal concern, poverty, and ambivalence about the pregnancy. Even healthy pregnancies with

optimal psychosocial conditions can be affected by uncertainty and anxiety as individuals make

The transition to parenthood. All this calls for the need for intervention from a perinatal social

a worker who aid in the creation of a nurturing and healthy child-parent relationship, together with

families and mothers work to assess their challenges and strengths as they approach delivery

date, within the community and the health care setting, they advocate for the maternal and the

family and amend the effects of psychosocial and medical issues by working directly

with the maternal and the family, while also helping them to access long term helpful services

Where needed.

Incase of prenatal loss, perinatal social worker, help the family cope with the grief by

Helping them express, understand and cope with the feeling. Ensuring that every child and family

Is supported with fulfilling compassionate care is the goal of a perinatal social worker.

Work Gold Standard

There is a gold standard under prenatal care. A gold standard is about perinatal care is typically given to bereaved families. Sometimes there might be limited funds and challenges with the health care posing a challenge to gold care services. However, public health facilities must remain committed to giving the best, ‘gold standard’ care to bereaved families. Since families only have one opportunity to “do it right” by the loss of their baby either in miscarriage, neonatal loss, they deserve exceptional maintenance. A premier perinatal loss program requires concrete management; well trained and supported staff, administrative support; system-wide communication and coordination; and financial resources, which can then deliver individualized patient-based, widespread, and empathetic care to grieving families.

Hospital administration that encourages the growth, continuity, and continuing funding assistance of a well-organized and executed hospital-wide perinatal loss program, is the main component found in a Gold Standard program. All areas of the hospital working the with perinatal loss, birth centre, departments of emergency, clinics, and surgical services, must be inclusive in the program. Funding support permits for working hours devoted to mourning assistance, and budget for training, schooling, resources and events.

The next element of the program is that all perinatal workers are correctly and regularly trained, supported, and mentored and that the program is founded on complete national standards, procedure, and rules. Yearly, compulsory teaching of staff, regular updates, zone workspaces, and clear rules are essential. Observing the new or uncertain worker, assistance with paperwork, and help with memory creation events are vital regions of focus. Acknowledgement and backing up of workers are also essential for a fruitful program.

The last part of the program is that there is a unified process that offers combined, outstanding caution to every family from the time of their diagnosis, during their stay in the hospital, and their medical provider team provides continuing care, that includes clinic points of contact. Referral upon diagnosis and prior communication is vital for notifying and instructing families concerning their choices. Whenever possible, reducing hospital admittance and distribution of practical resources is advisable to help families in planning for the delivery of their baby. This approach regularly results in a reduction in shock and additional parent’s control. Delivery preparation and companioning, which is currently being offered by fully trained medical workers, local care companions, and by Baby Loss Counselors, can provide families with individualized, culturally definite care. This care and support happens before induction, during the meeting and bidding farewell to the baby, and carries on to post-hospital release. When this sort of assistant care example is exploited, parents have a healthier chance of getting complete, steady, and constant maintenance.

Social Workers Professional Organization

Perinatal works have a professional organization which helps to ensure quality services for maternal, infants and their families. Standards for all social workers are generally practised by the National Association of social workers (NASW) standard for social work practice. There is no focus directly on any speciality or subfield areas of social work practice by these standards. In the settings of health care, the method of perinatal social work adopts to the NASW standards of social work practice in health care to perinatal social work practice. From NASW standards for social work practise in health care settings, an overview of the primary practice standards are identified, and the lens is used for interpretation of the prenatal social workers and in context of perinatal settings. The meaning of perinatal practice is depicted by the NASW standards that are strategically applied. a Perinatal

Roles of Social Worker on Care Team

The duty of a perinatal social worker on a care team involves things such as helping maternal, and their families cope in case of a perinatal loss, assisting a woman in work through medical issues and psychosocial effects, assists in creation of a nurturing and healthy bond between child and parents, helps in preparations for child delivery. They nurture hope in families moving towards their future. All who are vital for a woman in her perinatal period.

Empirical Evidence of Perinatal Social Worker Intervention

Anecdotal evidence is the data received using the senses, mainly by observation and documentation of patterns and conduct through experimentation. The term comes from the Greek word for experience. An evidence-based approach to social work practice in clinical con-texts is a much more feasible undertaking at present than in other interventive venues. For many (if not most) answerable questions capable of being posed by clinical social workers, a review of the empirically-oriented practice

Perinatal Psychosocial Issues and Social Work Practice

Culture

During pregnancy, a lot of women tend to fell demand that they cannot meet, which causes an imbalance that results in psychosocial disorder. It can be expressed both behaviorally and physiologically, and it influences maternal health. Transition to motherhood leaves a woman vulnerable to mental issues. This can affect the culture aspect of a woman’s life.  Psychosocial aspects of care influence patient outcomes, compliance, and decision making. Patients experience ailment within the context of their cultural and spiritual practice and do so surrounded by a network of family and caregivers. Response to emotional suffering is a significant aspect of forging the healing relationship.

Patient encounters may disclose intense emotions such as sadness, anger, hopelessness, and fear, particularly when patients face an unanticipated severe or life-threatening illness. The patient may already be undergoing significant life stressors before hospitalization, such as death, divorce or illness of a close relative, difficulty with a family relationship, financial worry, or substance use or abuse. The patient may have undiagnosed or undertreated psychological or behavioural issues, including anxiety or depression. When presented with empathetic opportunities, physicians often shift their focus to biomedical explanations. Responding to emotional distress with a supportive approach can help promote an atmosphere of trust, improved patient satisfaction, and better patient outcomes.

Ethnicity

The psychosocial disorder affects some people on race grounds. The evaluation of psychosocial and ethnicity association showed, in African –Americans and Hispanic ethnicity. It is found that the same intensity of stress subjected to them will have a less impact compared to whites. However, these tests are not conclusive as they were subjected to different environmental conditions.

Religion

All religions share essential characteristics. Faith is a psychological necessity of humanity who believe in a higher unseen power. From the perspective of mental health, religion provides guidance that helps individuals diverse a course of their lives. Believes are seen to tolerate strain, uncertainty and stress more calmly. However, some rituals might promote mental illness. Some people tend to pray frequently when they are subjected to stress.

Contrary to these, some people reduce the capacity of their religiousness says by a reduction in the number of attendance of religious meetings. This has created a bias on the relationship between religion and health. In some cases, religious beliefs have impacted the choice of lifestyle by an individual that generally influences health.

Gender

Particular mental disorders are gender-related such anxiety, somatic complaints and depression.  Men are more likely to be diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder and substance abuse while on the other hand women are more likely to be diagnosed with significant stress, some disorder, however, such as borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, are not gender marked. Although due to experience, such a; accidents, wars, and witness of death, men are likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Diagnose of PTSD in women is higher in rate due to exposure to things such as; experience with sexual assault, rape and child sexual abuse. Increased risk of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder is evident in people who identify as genderqueer. Both biological and social/culture factors are looked at when considering gender and mental illness to explain areas of like hood development of mental illness in both men and women.

Age

Much older suffer a higher risk of developing a mental disorder. Life stressors are more common at an earlier age, as a decline in functional ability. Older people are more likely to experience events such as bereavement, or a drop in socioeconomic status with retirement. All of these stressors can result in isolation, loneliness or psychological distress in older people, for which they may require long-term care. Mental health has an impact on physical fitness and vice versa. For example, older adults with physical health conditions such as heart disease have higher rates of depression than those who are healthy. Additionally, untreated depression in an older person with heart disease can negatively affect its outcome. Older adults are also vulnerable to elder abuse which may cause severe psychological damage leading to long term anxiety or depression.

Sexual Orientation

Both younger and older adults are more prone to be subjective to poor mental health which lowers their wellbeing when compared to heterosexuals. In all health studies, measurements of sexual orientation should be conducted frequently. This should be stored in the form of administrative data to impact on service delivery, local policy and national. The results show the need for local government, providers of NHS and makers of public health policy. A population of adults identify as lesbians, bisexual or gay and non-heterosexual. Although identity is part of sexual orientation together with attraction and behavior, variabilities in estimates have risen due to choice of definition. Engagement in health behaviours that are risky such as hazardous drinking and smoking and poor physical health can result from belonging to a sexual minority population. During adolescence and early adulthood, there might be emerging of inequalities that might persist henceforth through one’s lifespan. This might be as a result of belonging to minority sexuality and addressing the inequalities considerations among minority groups in mental health might help ease the stress.

Socioeconomic Status

The theory of social causation states that the socioeconomic status of someone is the cause for mental functions weakening. People from a lower social class tend to undergo excess psychological stress compared to those from a higher social level and relatively a little societal rewards. Excess stress results in poor health, which can be caused by insufficient healthcare, poverty and job insecurity. From there, someone is likely to suffer from psych-social issues and stresses that’s are physical such as discrimination.

Social Work Ethical Issue

Some principles are used as a guide by social workers under the perinatal care unit. Standardization is evident in these principles as perinatal social workers ought to be professionals with their patients, colleagues, management, fellow professionals and with the whole community altogether. These principles also aim at embodying standards of personal behaviours concerning the identity of an individual as a perinatal social worker. Family importance, own work and uniqueness of each individual, child and parent, are the fundamental belief basis of this code. The principles applying to a perinatal social worker are; high standard of personal conduct, this is maintained to operate with transparency. The distinction between statement and action as made by professional representatives. Finally, resistance to the pressure that can Japanize his judgment as a perinatal profession. No personal motives should be behind the relationship with colleagues and patients.

Leahy-Warren, P., Newham, J., & Alderdice, F. (2018). Perinatal social support: panacea or a pitfall.