Maternal Health Resources

All short-term medical mission teams should assess all pregnant patients for high risk status

Assessing for High Risk Pregnancy

• Patients who are pregnant should have an accucheck and blood pressure recorded on their health assessment form
• Any and all females that appear to be at risk for gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia will also need counseled separately
• Gestational diabetes has been associated with a significantly increased risk for maternal and infant mortality
• Women, who are pre-eclamptic and become eclamptic in the village setting, have a very low maternal or fetal survival rate
• These women will need to be strongly encouraged to seek more appropriate medical follow-up and deliver their babies in a medical facility
• Arrangements for appropriate follow-up care and hospital delivery may need to be established with the assistance of local ministry personnel

 Below are some maternal health resources you may find useful.