RCP e-News January 2021

RCP is Open for Business - The Reproductive Care Program of Nova Scotia (RCP) continues to provide assistance and support. RCP staff members are working from home as much as possible but will respond to your questions as usual. Currently, e-mail and our contact us page are the most efficient ways to reach us. Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones during this trying time.

COVID-19 Resources for Nova Scotia Health Care Providers – RCP has complied a number of resources and information for NS care providers. The most recent bulletin was updated December 14, 2020. The full list of resources can be found on the RCP website COVID-19 page. 

RCP Webinar Series: – RCP is offering webinar education on a variety of perinatal topics appealing to providers working in all areas of maternal and newborn health. Part two of the series focused on urgent and emergent care needs in pregnancy. The third session in this series is scheduled for Tuesday, February 9th, 2021 - 12:00 to 14:00 and is titled: Skilled Labour Support: Releasing Your Nursing Super Power!. This session may appeal to providers practicing in Labour and Birth Units in facilities with an active Maternal Newborn Service, as well as others with a specific interest in supportive care in labour.  

Objectives:

  1. Explore the nature of pain throughout the stages of labour.
  2. Describe factors that contribute to the experience of pain in labour, as well as factors that facilitate coping.
  3. Increase understanding of the impact of pain and/or suffering on labour progress.
  4. Increase understanding of the principles of supportive care in labour and its related benefits.
  5. Identify and demonstrate supportive methods of pain relief used during labour that may also facilitate labour progress.

To register for this online event CLICK HERE.

New NSH Patient Resource - A new patient resource: ‘Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome’ has been recently developed via a provincial collaboration! This resource will serve as an information source for patients and their families to prepare them if their baby requires monitoring for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. This resource is available on the NSH website and can also be ordered from the Dalhousie Print Shop using the associated print code provided: WP85-2144 and title: Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Instructions for ordering print copies from Dal print shop can be found here: https://library.nshealth.ca/Pamphlets

COVID-19 and Pregnancy: Maternal and Newborn Care Bulletin #5 - In conjunction with the IWK Health Centre and the Nova Scotia Health, RCP has released the next bulletin to share current information and provide guidance about care for pregnant and childbearing persons and newborns in Nova Scotia during the COVID-19 pandemic. This bulletin includes information on the initial phase of Nova Scotia's COVID-19 immunization campaign that began this month. The direct link to the PDF can be found on the RCP website.

Breastfeeding & COVID-19 Resources – The Breastfeeding Committee for Canada provides a number of resources related to breastfeeding during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Included are: Infant Feeding and COVID-19 Pandemic - Key Messages and COVID-19 Vaccine and Breastfeeding. For these and other valuable breastfeeding resources go to the Breastfeeding Committee for Canada website.

Congratulations Dr. Strang! - Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's Chief Medical Officer of Health, received the 2020 Lieutenant-Governor's Award for Excellence in Public Administration in December. The medal is awarded annually to an individual working in public administration who exhibits the highest standard of excellence, dedication and accomplishment. Dr. Strang leads the province's public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic and communicates with Nova Scotians through frequent public briefings. Congratulations Dr. Strang! For the full story click here.

New Family-Centred Maternity and Newborn Care: Guidelines - The Public Health Agency of Canada is pleased to announce the release of Chapter 5: Postpartum Care and Chapter 7: Loss and Grief of the updated Family-Centred Maternity and Newborn Care: National Guidelines. The guidelines are dedicated to improving and creating consistency in maternal and newborn health and to inform evidence-based practice across Canada. The aim of the guidelines is to positively impact health from preconception to postpartum, and throughout the life-course of children, women and families. To access the full guidelines as well as helpful visual infographics go to the Public Health Agency of Canada website.

Coping With Labor Algorithm - Labour pain is unique given the various contributing physiologic, emotional, social, and cultural components. This article describes the work of a process improvement group to create an alternative pain assessment tool named – The Coping With Labor Algorithm. The Coping With Labour Algorithm is an evidence-based tool designed to assist with the assessment of coping with pain during labour.

Statement on COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnancy – The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC), together with the Canadian Fertility & Andrology Society (CFSA), has released a statement on COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy. To access the full statement go to the SOGC website.

 Updated Committee Opinion No. 400: COVID-19 and Pregnancy (December 1, 2020) – Given the data are evolving and a measured approach to management is required the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) has updated the COVID-19 and pregnancy committee opinion.

Recent Publications of Interest – Several publications have been recently released and are now available for your review. The titles with links have been provided below for your information and reading enjoyment:

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If you have any questions or comments, please contact the RCP office at rcp@iwk.nshealth.ca.

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