Ms Elissa Spackman1
1WA Country Health Service (WACHS), , Australia
Biography:
Elissa Spackman is a Clinical Midwife Consultant and is Clinical Lead for the Midwifery Obstetric Emergency Telehealth Services. Where video conferencing platforms are used to allow country families to access senior midwifery review and clinical management
Abstract:
WACHS has over 110 sites throughout regional and remote WA with only 18 sites providing obstetric services.
MOETS comprises of 15 experienced midwives who provide 24/7 senior midwifery co-ordination across WACHS including bedside video-conferencing and specialist clinical advice in patient presentations to a site without obstetric or maternity clinicians. MOETS also provides support to Obstetrric sites through the provision of second clinician reviews of fetal monitoring (CTGs), assisting with care escalation, policy advice and transport logistics when patient transfer is required. To date, MOETS has managed over 7500 referrals and has provided guidance and facilitated the development of management plans ensuring appropriate evidence-based clinical care for women and babies throughout regional and remote WA.
Prior to the creation of MOETS, any obsetric or maternity presentations to a WACHS non-birthing site were managed by nurses and generalists who by definition are not sepcialists in the provision of maternity care. Utilising MOETS for all maternity presentations means that all women in regional and remote WA receive evidence based maternity care and that risk factors are identified and appropriately managed and, when necessary, timely transfer occurs. The priority is to ensure woman and families recieve gold standard health care as close to their home and their families as possible and, that women birth at a health facility with appropriately trained obstetric staf. Despite this intention there are approximately 12births at WACHS non-birthing sites per year, MOETS supports non-maternity staff to ensure safety of these families. MOETS provides vital specialist care and clinical advice in the event of any obstetric emergency at a non-birthing site. This includes presentations with pre-eclampsia, antenatal and postpartum haemorrages, placental abruption, preterm labour and uterine rupture. For midwives and clinicians WACHS birthing sites, MOETS provides senior midwifery support and assists with care planning and escalation of concerns as required.