Elements and Performance Criteria
- Deliver health care during pregnancy
- Take and document general, social and obstetric health history
- Identify symptoms of pregnancy and calculate expected date of delivery
- Discuss with the pregnant woman an antenatal care plan based on standard protocols, instructions of medical staff and client requirements
- Discuss information on healthy living and maternal health risks
- Perform antenatal clinical assessments in line with standard protocols and client requirements
- Provide information on birthing options, signs of labour, stages of labour, pain management techniques and family attendance at delivery
- Identify from questioning minor disorders of pregnancy, provide advice and refer appropriately
- Support women to obtain needed medicines and provide with appropriate information on use
- Make appointments for specialist assessment, diagnostic imaging and other referred care according to medical orders and support women to attend as needed
- Identify symptoms or signs suggesting potentially serious complications of pregnancy and refer appropriately
- Consult specialist obstetricians, allied health professionals and other members of the health care team and involve as appropriate
- Organise and evaluate maternal health programs
- Maintain registers of women undergoing antenatal care according to organisation policies and procedures
- Keep schedules of participation in antenatal care and use to organise continuing care for women
- Organise and/or provide reminders, transport and other assistance to attend care according to women's needs
- Provide supervision of other staff participating in provision of antenatal care
- Regularly update information on obstetric history and antenatal care assessment at the planned birthing facility according to organisation protocols
- Maintain referral and communication networks with medical staff, specialist obstetricians, midwives, allied health staff, birthing facilities and female community elders
- Keep statistics on attendance for antenatal care and birthing outcomes and use to evaluate maternal health programs