Abstract

Obstetrical care closer to home: team-based high risk care in Canada's Arctic

Part of Special Series: Innovative Solutions in Remote Healthcare – ‘Rethinking Remote’ Conference Abstracts 2016go to url

AUTHORS

name here
S Lespérance
1 *

name here
P Demaio
2

name here
M Cole
3

name here
S Doherty
4

name here
M Hansen
5

CORRESPONDENCE

* S Lespérance

AFFILIATIONS

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Memorial University of Newfoundland, Government of Nunavut, Iqaluit, Canada

PUBLISHED

30 June 2016 Volume 16 Issue 2

HISTORY

RECEIVED: 23 June 2016

ACCEPTED: 29 June 2016

CITATION

Lespérance S, Demaio P, Cole M, Doherty S, Hansen M.  Obstetrical care closer to home: team-based high risk care in Canada's Arctic. Rural and Remote Health 2016; 16: 4107. https://doi.org/10.22605/RRH4107

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONSgo to url

© James Cook University 2016

go to urlCited by

no pdf available, use your browser's print function to create one


abstract:

The Qikiqtani Region of Nunavut is served by a regional hospital with over 400 births annually. In Nunavut, age-specific fertility rates are over 8 times the national average, with increased pre-eclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, and preterm birth. For Inuit women, giving birth closer to home, instead of in a city over 2000 km away, is of paramount importance. In a region with no obstetrician, this has posed challenges for family physicians. To provide safe, culturally-relevant care, a multi-faceted approach was developed. Care is delivered by a core team of full-time family physicians. A comprehensive orientation guide was created, with protocols to standardize and clarify the scope of the team's capabilities. Developed from existing guidelines, use of the MoreOB program, and in consultation with Maternal Fetal Medicine, these were modified to the local context. A consensus process is used to update protocols at an annual physician retreat. Diagnostic tools (ex. fetal fibronectin) are available in all communities. Telehealth is used for weekly multidisciplinary rounds, where community nurses join in reviewing all high-risk pregnancies and women at term. Mandatory consultation with another family physician exists for decisions regarding induction or caesarian section. Physicians are increasingly able to manage complex cases and caesarian section rates are below the National average (<10%). Need for out-of-region referrals has decreased, due to early initiation of preventative therapies for preterm birth or preeclampsia. Challenges include increasing physician numbers, integration of midwifery in a setting with no obstetrician, and inability to expand telehealth due to internet bandwidth limitations.

This abstract was presented at the Innovative Solutions in Remote Healthcare - 'Rethinking Remote' conference, 23-24 May 2016, Inverness, Scotland.

This PDF has been produced for your convenience. Always refer to the live site https://www.rrh.org.au/journal/article/4107 for the Version of Record.