During the COVID 19 pandemic many members are working in different or new roles. Below are links to i-learn modules which may be useful as a refresher to practice
Midwives regularly come in contact with pregnant women with diabetes and play a significant role in influencing care which can improve the outcomes of current as well as future pregnancies. A national survey from the Diabetes Care Trust has shown that over 85% of midwives would like further knowledge and education about various aspects of diabetes in pregnancy.
This i-learn module seeks to address this and will provide midwives, support workers and students with a thorough understanding of all aspects of diabetes in pregnancy from preconception counselling to postpartum care.
This i-learn module on antibiotic awareness seeks to promote and increase awareness of antibiotic resistance. In particular, it seeks to promote the role of workers in maternity services in minimising the challenges of antibiotic resistance. Further, maternity workers should be aware of how appropriate antibiotic stewardship can promote a healthier childbearing continuum for women and babies.
This i-learn course looks at the safe and appropriate administration of anti-D immunoglobulin for D negative (Rh negative) women throughout pregnancy and following birth. Incorrect or missed doses of anti-D following a potentially sensitising event can leave the woman at risk of sensitisation to the D antigen and making antibodies. Midwives are responsible for the administration of anti-D as part of their practice and this course aims to explain the processes that can lead to Haemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn (HDFN) and the best practice for midwives to help prevent it from occurring.
Epidurals are an effective form of labour analgesia used by approximately 25-30% of women during childbirth.
This i-learn module on epidural use for labour aims to develop midwives’ knowledge and understanding of epidurals, the advantages and disadvantages of their use and to improve midwives’ confidence in safely caring for women who choose to birth using epidural analgesia, in line with professional standards within the NMC Code.
This module provides a brief overview of hand hygiene
The brief module looks at how to measure the heart rate of a newborn baby and recognising normal heart sounds
Sepsis can progress rapidly causing serious maternal ill health and possibly death. This i-learn module will review the predisposing factors and causes of sepsis. Any infection can lead to sepsis and identification of the common and not so common sites of infection that may arise in the childbearing period are included.
Early recognition of signs and symptoms by midwives and maternity support workers allows early referral and rapid implementation of care that can be lifesaving. This module will provide guidance on how to assess the woman to identify infection and possible sepsis. This will include a review of vital signs alongside signs and symptoms of infection. The need for structured, thorough assessment is emphasised.
Increasing numbers of pregnant and postnatal women require higher levels of care, including maternity high dependency care (MHDC). This increase is likely to continue due to the higher number of women entering maternity services with existing comorbidities and/or obstetric complications. This i-learn module will explore why this is the case, what maternal HDC can entail and the challenges it can have for midwifery practice.
MaternityPEARLS is an online resource for midwives on perineal repair and suturing.
This resource is based on the work of the Perineal Assessment Repair Longitudinal Study (PEARLS) funded by the Health Foundation. During the study, a number of training issues and variations in practice were identified and this resource was put together to meet these needs
This module will take you through the NMC Code, looking at how it applies to you. The Code came in to effect for all Nurses and Midwives on 31st March 2015. It is important to keep in mind how the code impacts on your continuing professional development and revalidation.
The module will pick up on some key elements of the Code but the module needs to be considered with the full Code.
This quick taster course will introduce you to the concept of resilience, explain what is currently known about resilience in midwifery practice, and provide suggestions for developing personal resilience strategies. It includes a research-based Resilient Repertoire with linked reflective questions.