[Imminent out-of-hospital birth assistance. Actions during this process and care for the mother and the newborn]

Rev Esp Salud Publica. 2018 Sep 4:92:e201809063.
[Article in Spanish]

Abstract

Assisting an unexpected birth that occurs quickly in a setting that is not a specialized health center is always a stressful situation, basically for two reasons; firstly, because the people involved in this type of care, although they are used to urgent health care, are not usually specialists in obstetrics and the management of the same and, secondly, because an imminent delivery within such a scenario involves a potential risk for both the life of the mother and the newborn if there is no quick and safe action; hence the usefulness of an updated guide for the assistance and administration of care to pregnant women who give birth outside the hospital environment, both to her and the newborn.

La atención de un parto precipitado que acontece de forma rápida en un entorno que no es el de un centro sanitario especializado siempre es una situación estresante, básicamente por dos motivos, en primer lugar porque las personas implicadas en su atención, aunque están acostumbradas a la asistencia sanitaria urgente no suelen ser especialistas en obstetricia y al manejo del mismo y en segundo lugar, un parto inminente en tal escenario comporta un riesgo potencial tanto de la vida de la madre como del recién nacido si no se actúa de forma rápida y segura; de ahí la utilidad de una guía actualizada en la atención y administración de cuidados a mujeres embarazadas que paren fuera del ámbito hospitalario, tanto a ella como al recién nacido.

Keywords: Accidental; Assistance; Delivery; Out of hospital; Pregnant; Spain.

MeSH terms

  • Delivery, Obstetric / methods*
  • Emergency Medical Services / methods*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Obstetric Labor Complications / diagnosis
  • Obstetric Labor Complications / therapy
  • Perinatal Care / methods*
  • Pregnancy