What are the rountinely Antenatal Screening checks?

Review effective risk assessment tools available for midwives.

Midwives are responsible for effective surveillance throughout pregnancy. Screening for mental, social and the physical well-being of women during pregnancy with effective assessment tools, where available, can help midwives identify vulnerable groups of women at higher risk of poor pregnancy outcomes. It is therefore essential that midwives are aware of these assessment tools and where such tools are not available; midwives should be actively involved in establishing these.

Effective screening can highlight a number of risks to both mother and baby and therefore midwives must ensure that they are equipped with a wide range of knowledge and skills to deliver screening programmes effectively and sensitively.

These are just a few of the issues addressed in this supplement published by BJM:

• How can midwives assess a women's degree of risk for developing venous thromboembolism in pregnancy?
• How can the risk factors be identified as early as possible to enable appropriate referral and management and reduce the risk of death from venous thromboembolism?
• What are the barriers to midwives screening for domestic abuse? What improvements can be made to boost midwives’ confidence in raising the issue?
• What challenges do women face who test positive for HIV in pregnancy? How can midwives support them?
• How midwives can detect mental disorder in women and when should they refer them?
• How useful are 4D ultrasound scans in diagnosing cleft palette?

Do not miss out on this exclusive Antenatal Screening Supplement brought to you by British Journal of Midwifery, the leading clinical journal for midwives. Published each month, the journal is written by midwives for midwives and peer reviewed by some of the foremost authorities in the profession. It contains the best clinical reviews, original research and evidence-based articles available, and ensures that midwives are kept fully up-to-date with the latest developments taking place in clinical practice.