[...]... practice guidelines The Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery & Women’s Health have grown out of a need for a concise reference guide to meet that recommendation The Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery & Women’s Health reflect current practice, and provide support and guidance for day-to-day clinical practice with diverse populations Regional differences in practice styles occur; therefore,... Disclaimer The Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery & Women’s Health provided here represent a compilation of current practices that includes evidence-based, traditional, and empiric care from a wide variety of sources The Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery & Women’s Health are used voluntarily and assume that the practicing women’s health professional will temper them with sound clinical judgment,... local standards, and attention to sound risk management principles The Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery &Women’s Health are not all-inclusive, and there may be additional safe and reasonable practices that are not included By accepting the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery & Women’s Health, midwives and other women’s health professionals are not restricted to their exclusive use Both... differences in practice styles occur; therefore, the guidelines are broadly based and designed to reflect current practice and literature as much as possible The Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery & Women’s Health are designed to be kept where you practice: a copy in your exam room(s), one copy for your birth setting, and another by the phone at home These guidelines may be customized further with dated... boundaries for practice The Purpose of Clinical Practice Guidelines Clinical practice guidelines are used to direct and define parameters for care This may be influenced by the accepted standards of the midwife’s or women’s health provider’s professional organization(s) State laws, both statutes and regulations, may affect the scope of practice, as may hospital bylaws, birth center rules and regulations, health. .. essential information about the various components needed to identify and manage risk in midwifery practice The midwifery risk management plan should include practice policies and procedures that address topics such as the following (Greenwald, 2004): • Written practice description • Philosophy of practice • Location(s) of practice • Practice guidelines and standards • The role and scope of practice for each... of midwifery care should direct, but not drive, the care you provide Clear discussion of the parameters of midwifery practice, the practice location(s), practice limitations or boundaries required by collaborative relationships, practice agreements, and clinical options of midwifery care (including privileges) goes a long way toward evaluating whether a particular midwifery practice is appropriate for. .. provide optimum women’s health care in today’s busy environment the use of a systematic approach to organization is essential This type of approach is central to providing care that is comprehensive and is least likely to result in clients “slipping through the cracks.” Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery & Women’s Health utilizes a format that is recognized throughout the health care continuum... constitutes the “evidence” in evidence-based practice? Applied Nursing Research, 13, 222–225 Greenwald, L (Ed.) (2004) Perspectives on clinical risk management Boston: Risk Management Publications, ProMutual Group Kennedy, H P (2000) A model of exemplary midwifery practice: Results of a Delphi study Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, 45, 4–19 National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) (1998) Guide... Collaborative Practice Network Each individual midwife must define her or his scope of practice based on philosophy of midwifery practice, educational preparation, experience, skill level, and the individual practice setting A midwife’s scope of practice may vary from one practice location to another and may change throughout her career Each client who comes to a midwife for care has the right to information . recommendation. The Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery & Women’s Health reflect current practice, and provide support and guidance for day-to-day clinical practice. written policies and/or practice guidelines. The Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery & Women’s Health have grown out of a need for a concise reference