A Typical Day in the Obstetric unit at Coast Provincial General Hospital

A Typical Day in the Obstetric unit at Coast Provincial General Hospital

Obstetric care is one of the most essential services that a hospital should have. In the Kenyan health system as well as most of the health systems in Africa, it’s one of the most sought after services. While a rotation in this department may appear obvious in expectations it is always good to have a picture of the actual experiences and what exactly they may entail.

Here is what a typical day or days of the rotation in this unit of the hospital may entail.

Participation in the Prenatal clinics

To be well versed with the obstetric care which even in definition looks holistically at the care of the mother during pregnancy, childbirth and after which one needs to participate in the prenatal center. The participation in this area will see one gain insight on the advices accorded to the expectant mothers at the different stages of the pregnancy, on the diet and other clinical guidance to ensure safety in the pregnancy and childbirth. A rotation in this unit will see one therefore not only observe the advices given based on conditions but also participate in the physical examinations and the histories that inform the course of action and advices given.

Triage  

This is the subunit within the maternity that is mainly the area used to identify the women who are in identified labor and ready for delivery. In this unit one will get to learn on how to conduct this triage and how the health professionals determine who is due for delivery. One will thus be able to participate and gain understanding as to how to conduct this crucial examination.

Labor and delivery room

Triage is an important determinant in admission and readiness to deliver. On day to day basis there are over 15 deliveries in this unit.  In the labor room one is able to learn on how women are prepared to deliver, the best practices in it as well as the whole process of birthing. While in the first few days one may freak out, the experience accumulated over the days one spends here is valuable and the exposure is immense.

Postnatal Care

On the delivery the mother and child are admitted at the post-natal ward for assessment and discharge. In this ward one is able to gain insight to the care of mothers’ post-delivery and also the care of the newborn. In this subsection one is able to learn on how discharge summaries are written and the basic agreeable conditions for accepting the discharge of both the mother and the child.

New Born Unit

In the event that the baby is delivered under age or delivered with a complication, they are taken to the Neonatal section and in a rotation here one learns on how to take care of them including the maintenance of the nebulizers at the best conditions for the child.

The experience both clinical and otherwise in this department is immense and given its one of the most popular departments of rotation one can always look forward to much more exposure.

by Elective Africa