Gynecology and Obstetrics Nursing Overview

Gynecology and Obstetrics Nursing

• Knowledge and Skills: Requires understanding of reproductive anatomy and physiology, applicable in practice. Knowledge of obstetric drugs, disease effects, complications, and management is crucial.
• Antenatal Care: Includes developing skills in detecting abnormalities, preventing complications, identifying and managing high-risk cases, and providing health education.
• Labor and Delivery: Developing skills in supporting women during labor, maintaining records, ensuring safe delivery, and neonatal resuscitation (when needed).
• Postpartum Care: Caring for mother and baby, identifying and addressing postpartum abnormalities, and educating families on infant care, immunizations, family planning, and spacing.
• Emotional Support: Essential to offer advice, understand patient issues, and offer support as a kind and helpful nurse.

Preventing Obstetric Complications

• Causes of Obstetric Deaths: Hemorrhage, infections, toxemia, obstructed labor, and complications from abortions.
• Antenatal Care's Role: Plays a crucial role in preventing deaths related to hemorrhage, anemia, toxemia, obstructed labor, and ruptured uterus.
• High-Risk Pregnancies: Early detection allows referral to hospitals, such as cases of hypertension, gestational diabetes, or familial bleeding disorders.
• Hygiene: Personal and environmental hygiene within hospitals reduces sepsis risk.
• Reducing Risk Factors: Raising the minimum marriage age, family planning services can reduce high-risk teenage pregnancies. Improving nutrition for young girls reduces obstructed labor risk due to poor pelvic development.
• Induced Abortions: Reducing unwanted pregnancies through accessible family planning services, improves long-term reductions in induced abortions (legal or illegal).

Roles of Obstetrics Nurses

• Mother and Fetus Monitoring: Collaboration with obstetricians to monitor mother and fetus during pregnancy.
• High-Risk Pregnancies: Provide extra care to women with conditions such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, or previous pregnancy complications.
• Emotional Support: Helping women cope with pregnancy and childbirth stresses.
• Labor and Delivery: Primary caregivers, monitoring contractions, pain relief management, and assisting in deliveries.
• Emergency Situations: Critical role in ensuring mother and baby safety in emergencies like preeclampsia or fetal distress. Quickly escalating care to medical teams.

Roles of Gynecological Nurses

• Reproductive Health Issues: Handling reproductive health concerns such as uterine fibroids, endometriosis, infertility, and menopause.
• Specialized Procedures: Assistance with procedures such as hysteroscopy, laparoscopy, and colposcopy, followed by post-surgical care.
• Holistic Approach: Provides comprehensive individualized care to patients' unique health needs.