Registered Midwife Scope of Practice
This domain encompasses the key principles of the registered midwife’s role in health promotion, illness prevention, care provision, supported transfer within health contexts and discharge planning, including establishing appropriate therapeutic and interpersonal relationships to maximize the delivery of safe care to women, babies, families, the wider community and society.Woman-Centered Care
Provides skilled, safe, holistic, culturally competent and person-centered midwifery care to the woman, her family and community in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team irrespective of healthcare setting.
Performance criteria:
- Provides comprehensive, holistic and evidence based woman-centered health care.
- Engages the woman and her family in preconception counseling, based on the individual situation, needs and interests.
- Undertakes a comprehensive and systematic health assessment to determine the healthcare needs with the woman.
- Applies best available evidence to support clinical reasoning, decision-making and safe practice.
- Provides a comprehensive programme of parenthood preparation.
- Provides safe responsive and compassionate care and support for the woman and her family to promote normal birth.
- Administers medication through agreed standing orders and therapies in a safe, timely and effective manner in accordance with HMC policy.
- Develops, implements, evaluates and revises the plan of care as required based on a reasoned evaluation of the woman and the unborn infant.
- Plans for continuity of care including supported transition and/or discharge.
- Defines expected goals and/or outcomes in terms of the individual womans’ needs, concerns, culture and values.
- Cares for and empowers the mother throughout childbirth in a variety of settings, to include the hospital, home, clinics.
- Conducts spontaneous physiological normal births from 37 weeks gestation.
- Recognizes abnormalities and refers the care of the woman to an appropriately qualified healthcare professional in a timely manner.
- Takes the necessary emergency measures within her sphere of practice in the absence of the doctor.
- Maintains and promotes customer satisfaction through effective customer service.
Communication and teamwork
Uses communication skills to ensure that the woman and her family and other members of the health care team, are, and remain, fully informed.
Performance Criteria:
- Initiates and develops a therapeutic relationship with the woman and her family through the use of appropriate communication and interpersonal skills.
- Demonstrates cultural understanding of women and their families.
- Consistently communicates relevant, accurate and comprehensive information in verbal, written and electronic forms in a timely manner to ensure the delivery of safe, competent and ethical care.
- Works with others to build consensus or resolve conflict as part of the wider multi-disciplinary team.
