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Whiteboards in maternity units

We’ve been discussing issues surrounding privacy at the last few workshops. It is obviously an important ingredient for the labouring woman, but some associated concerns have been raised as well.

One that was mentioned is the fact that some maternity units still have those big whiteboards in their central area used to display the name and labouring status of the women currently in the unit. If this is on view to everyone who passes, it means that other women (or more importantly, their support people) can see the details of other women in labour and this amounts to an invasion of their privacy. It could be a particular concern in, for example, a small town, where everyone knows everyone else.

These boards are used to keep everyone informed of what is happening to the women in the unit and are often a focus for the ward rounds and handovers. They can also be used to encourage “throughput” by managers, for example “why haven’t you ruptured Mrs X’s membranes yet?”. If the unit also uses centralised CTG monitoring, a bizarre scene could unfold, where no-one needs to spend time with the woman, as her progress is being plotted by the monitor and the midwife just checks regularly so the board can be updated. It may sound unlikely, but I have heard of some units that are fast developing such a “production line”, similar to those used in industry to achieve targets and maximise productivity.

The whiteboard have got to go. There must be a more humane way of passing on vital details from one shift of midwives to another without relying on this blatant display of personal details. Privacy and confidentiality are issues that are central to a feeling of safety in a unit, and that goes not only for the women giving birth but also for the staff.

Posted by andrea at June 16, 2003 11:28 PM

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