Reducing Risk in Pregnancy: Quality Improvement Suggestion for Women

This report focuses on reducing risks during pregnancy through a quality improvement approach. It emphasizes the importance of good communication between pregnant women and healthcare providers, empowering women to make informed decisions about their delivery methods. The report highlights potential risks such as prolonged labor, ectopic pregnancy, and the dangers of alcohol consumption and unhealthy lifestyles. It recommends healthy lifestyle choices, including proper nutrition and avoiding certain foods, and stresses the need for pre-travel consultations and vaccinations for pregnant women. Furthermore, the report underscores the importance of advance consultations, regular checkups, and the formulation of antenatal plans for women with previous delivery complications. The report also addresses the need for risk assessment, including factors like recurrent miscarriage and gestation diabetes, and recommends close monitoring in the days leading up to delivery, and access to an information booklet. The report concludes by recommending choosing the appropriate place and method of delivery in advance. This information is crucial for pregnant women to make informed decisions to reduce risks and ensure a healthy pregnancy.

Running head: REDUCING RISK IN PREGNANCY
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Reducing risk in pregnancy
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REDUCING RISK IN PREGNANCY 2
A quality improvement suggestion
There should be good communication that exists between pregnant women and the
nurses. Women ought to be given time to make the right and informed decision on the method of
delivery. They could only be allowed to change their decision when they develop a problem that
cannot be evaded. For instance, when they are forced to deliver on surgery and they had chosen
to deliver normally. Information and additional needs regarding delivery should be delivered to
the pregnant women before they deliver. This information is important in ensuring they are
informed to avoid some risks that may occur in future (Lorenc, Sowden, and Renton, 2012)
Some of the problems that occur when delivering include, prolong labor that leads to
excessive bleeding that may end up giving birth to still babies and ectopic pregnancy that leads
to termination of pregnancy. People who consume alcohol have high risks of developing poor
pregnancy that may lead to termination of these pregnancies (Adler and Stewart, 2010). Pregnant
women therefore are advised to practice healthy lifestyle free from smoking and consumption of
excessive alcohol.
Pregnant women who are thinking of traveling should first discuss it with medical experts
to know how to behave when they are abroad. Such considerations include vaccination and travel
insurance (Kohn, Corrigan, Donaldson, 2012). This is important in ensuring that risks do not
occur when they have traveled. They should be given proper diets and nutrition to enable the
growing child has the necessary nutrients. The pregnant women need to avoid some foods such
as uncooked or undercooked prepared meals, raw or partially cooked meat and taking ripened
soft cheese (Rehkopf, Jencks and Glymour, 2010).

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All women who encounter any sort of risk in pregnancy need to have booked consultation
in advance for checkup before they deliver. The responsible midwife need to make follow up to
these women until they deliver. Where there is any complication that cannot be handled at that
particular moment, the midwife ought to refer the pregnant women elsewhere where they will
meet specialists to handle their case (Rich, 2015). Before the woman deliver she should choose
the appropriate place of delivery and the method of delivery. In case of any emergencies, a
woman could be rushed to the specific place of delivery and avoid any hustle during such a
moment. When a place is not selected, it may cause many problems searching the required place,
which may lead to prolonged labor that can be fatal (Raw, Aizlewood and Britain, 2011). An
information booklet is required by the pregnant women to provide the required information so as
to make appropriate decision.
Some factors need to be considered when undertaking risks assessment. These include
factors such as previous difficulties in delivery, recurrent miscarriage, gestation diabetes, still
birth and rhesus factor or any other significant blood group antibodies. Women who have these
problems need to have a formulated plan in antenatal clinic planned together with the respective
midwife (King, Lester, 2011). This information should be discussed well between the pregnant
woman and the doctor or the midwife. Some few days before the delivery, the woman should be
monitored very closely and any kind of risk reduced (Robbins, Stanley, 2010).

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References
Adler, N. E. and Stewart, J. (2010) ‘Health disparities across the lifespan: meaning, methods,
and mechanisms’. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1186(1), pp. 5-23
Lorenc, T., Sowden, A. and Renton, A. (2012) ‘Crime, fear of crime, environment, and mental
health and wellbeing: mapping review of theories and causal pathways’. Health & Place,
18(4), pp. 757-65
Raw, G. J., Aizlewood and Britain, G. (2011) Building regulation, health and safety: A report
concerning the influence on the health and safety of building users of fabric and services
controlled or controllable by regulation of buildings. Construction Research
Communications. Building Research Establishment, London: CRC Ltd
Rehkopf, D. H., Jencks, C. and Glymour, M. M. (2010) ‘The association of earnings with health
in middle age: do self-reported earnings for the previous year tell the whole story?’.
Social Science and Medicine, 71(3), pp. 431-9
Kohn L.T., Corrigan J., Donaldson (2012) M.S. & Institute of Medicine (U.S.), Committee on
Quality of Health Care in America. (2000). To err is human: Building a safer health
system. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Rich, L.V. (2015). How We Think About Medication Errors(3rd ed): A model and a Charge for
Nurses. London piublisher

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Robbins, Stanley (2010). Robbins and Cotran pathologic basis of disease (8th ed.). Philadelphia:
Saunders/Elsevier. Pp. 90-110
King, Lester (2011). Transformations in American Medicine (5th ed): From Benjamin Rush to
William Osler. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins. Pp. 27-88.