I have been working in a rural setting for some 18 months now where we have just one ward for all and in my opinion it just doesn't work for both the mothers and their newborns and the midwives. A couple of things that come to mind are the aesthetics of a full on hospital ward as compared to the usual softer decor associated with maternity. The problem of wandering elderly and the biggest complaint from the mothers the buzzers and general continuous noise. The midwives themselves often get frustrated as they battle to justify the time required to spend with a new mother to other staff who are not midwives and can also feel they are short changing their general patients. At the end of the day it all comes down to the size of the unit and no of births, as has been raised on this list before caseload would probably be the best solution. yours in midwifery pete malavisi
Pier Leone Malavisi _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
