MID5009 · Maternal critical care

Overview

Some women experience critical illness associated with childbearing. In this unit, you will concentrate on key aspects of high acuity care of the pregnant and postpartum woman as a central aspect of advanced midwifery and nursing practice. You will examine conditions that result in critical illness during pregnancy, labour and postpartum, focus on advanced assessment and monitoring, and on the management of critical illness during pregnancy, labour and postpartum in a contemporary health system. An important component of this unit is the role of the interdisciplinary team and ensuring that women who experience critical illness have access to midwifery care.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. Examine the pathophysiological processes underpinning critical illness in pregnant, labouring and postpartum women.
2. Develop a structured, holistic clinical assessment of a critically ill pregnant, labouring and postpartum woman.
3. Analyse appropriate monitoring strategies and outline effective escalation of care mechanisms for pregnant and postpartum women with a deteriorating clinical condition.
4. Critically evaluate evidence-based therapeutic interventions for women experiencing critical illness during pregnancy, labour/birth and postpartum, using a woman-centred approach.
5. Appraise the care and support available to critically ill pregnant, labouring and postpartum women and their families, as they experience and recover from critical illness, and transition to parenthood.
6. Critically examine professional communication and interdisciplinary collaboration in the care of critically ill pregnant, labouring and postpartum women.
7. Investigate contemporary midwifery and nursing issues, quality improvement and policy in relation to maternal critical care.

Workload

12 hours per week of teacher facilitated and self-directed learning including tutorials and online activities. Please refer to Moodle for tutorial types and requirements.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.