Australian Private Midwives Association: social networking

Saturday, September 17, 2011

social networking

In this post we draw attention to social networking sites, such as Facebook. This topic is addressed at the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) 'Advice by topic' site. Reference was made to this advice in the September 2011 issue of the Victorian health department's Maternity and Newborn Clinical Network Newsletter. From the UK NMC:

This advice addresses specific issues around social networking sites such as Facebook, but its principles can be applied to all kinds of online communication, including personal websites and blogs, discussion boards, email groups and instant messaging. It also covers all kinds of content shared online, including text, photographs, images, video and audio files.

PS: See also, Caroline Hastie's thinkbirth blog on social media and professional black humor, which draws our attention to the writings of Anne Marie Cunningham , a GP and Clinical Lecturer in Cardiff University, Wales, UK, who is interested in the use of new technologies to further medical education.

1 comment:

Thinkbirth said...: Thanks for profiling this important topic for our members. I hope everyone takes the time to read the various items in this as they help us think about professional ethics from all dimensions; make a strong case for developing a deep reflexivity and proceed with wisdom and caution using social media.
Having said all that, social media is fabulous for sharing information and enabling us to promote health and women centred care, address injustices while supporting the growth and development of midwifery across the world. Just brilliant really!; September 18, 2011 at 9:58 AM

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WHO ARE WE?

The Australian Private Midwives Association represents midwives in private practice. The association is focused on the safety of women, the ability of women to access quality midwifery care across Australia and the partnerships between women and midwives. APMA supports women’s choice in maternity options within a framework of quality and safety and believes in women being able to access midwives in all settings. APMA unites all midwives seeking to provide continuity of care for women.

APMA strives to provide midwives in private practice with information relevant to their practice and advocacy in the political process.

Enquiries:
Joy Johnston joy@aitex.com.au
Marie Heath NSW and National 0407 266004
Clare Lane (Vic) 0416 130219

APMA POSITION STATEMENT on PLANNED HOME BIRTHS WITH A MIDWIFE

1. We support home birth with a midwife in attendance for women who have uncomplicated labours. 2. We support and adopt the International Confederation of Midwives’ (ICM) Definition of the Midwife (2011), which is foundational to all midwifery practice, including homebirth. 3. We support the right of every woman to access a midwife as the primary maternity caregiver who works in partnership with the woman throughout the episode of care, who is able to be the responsible professional in attendance at the birth either at home or hospital, and who is able to make appropriate referral and transfer of care when required. 4. We support the right of a midwife to practise privately in a fee-for-service or funded relationship with the client, or to take up employment. 5. We support only those regulatory restrictions that are able to pass the ‘public interest’ test: “How does this promote health and wellbeing in the mother and baby?” 6. We support an expectation of equity, including equal pay for equal work throughout a midwife’s scope of practice. Midwives who provide primary maternity care are entitled to the same public funding, the same opportunity to charge a fee-for-service, the same access to hospital referral, and publicly supported indemnity insurance, as medical practitioners providing the same maternity services. 7. We support processes by which midwives are able to gain experience and mentoring in order to commence and demonstrate competence in homebirth practice. 8. We support seamless and reliable processes by which midwives are able to make hospital bookings for women planning homebirth, and arrange transfer to the hospital in a timely way when needed.