Draft changes to the standard of perinatal care

The subject of the proposed amendments is updating the appendix to the Regulation of the Minister of Health of August 16, 2018 on the organizational standard of perinatal care. The purpose of the amendments is to improve the quality and standardization of care for pregnant women, women giving birth, women in the postpartum period and their children, while taking into account the recommendations of experts and the expectations of patients.

The new regulations are aimed at:

• Ensuring quality maternity care,
• Proper use of the potential of medical personnel,
• Ensuring the safety of patients and newborns,
• The subjective treatment of women and respect for their rights.

Key changes in the standard of perinatal care

Expand research and prevention:

• Introduce testing early in pregnancy (HBV, cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis).
• Adjusting the timing of tests, such as the glucose test (24-28 weeks of pregnancy).
• Informing about vaccinations recommended in pregnancy from the 10th week.

Breast Cancer Prevention:

Recommend breast ultrasound in women over 35 for risk factors.

Education and support:

• Removal of restrictions on when antenatal education can begin.
• Opportunity to see the delivery site in advance and consult with the anesthesiologist.

Support for women in special situations:

• Ban on placing women after miscarriage, stillbirth or with lethal defects in rooms with women who have given birth to healthy babies.
• Provide the opportunity to receive professional midwifery care at the place of residence.

Organizational changes regarding labor pain relief:

• Obligation to publish information on available pain relief methods.
• Eliminate the use of pethidine in pharmacological pain relief.
• Increasing the availability of epidurals and the participation of anesthesia midwives.

Breastfeeding promotion:

Arrange rules related to breastfeeding, including lactation care in various situations (e.g., miscarriage, death of the newborn).

Emphasize the importance of skin-to-skin contact:

Two-hour uninterrupted contact between mother and newborn as a priority.

Effects of planned changes

Implementation of the new standards is expected to allow:

• Improving the comfort and safety of women and newborns,
• Better organization of the work of medical personnel,
• Unification of perinatal care regardless of place of residence,
• More effectively identifying and responding to the needs of female patients, including victims of violence.

Source: RCL