In Relation to Pregnancy, Define and Discuss the Purpose of Holistic Assessment. How Would the Midwife Utilise the Information Gained from This Assessment to Provide Appropriate Care?

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Holistic assessment will be looked at in relation to the public health issue of obesity. A definition of holism will be explored and what is intended by the term midwife. A few of the risk factors of obesity in pregnancy will be investigated and how these impact on the care pathway. Oxford English Dictionaries (2012) defines holism as the theory that all parts of the whole are interconnected and cannot exist without the whole. Holistic assessment in relation to pregnancy should take into consideration not just the physical but psychological and social aspects as these are all part of the person as a whole, and as The Oxford English Dictionaries (2012) states that all parts are interconnected, therefore need to be seen as one. Midwifery 2020 (2010) suggest that the essence of a midwife is to provide safe physical care but to recognise that emotional and spiritual needs are exceptionally important in assisting a woman before, during and after childbirth. This statement again underpins the definition of holism by viewing the person as a whole and promoting psychological and physiological well being. The most comprehensive definition of the midwife comes from the International Confederation of Midwives (2011) and states “A midwife is a person who has successfully completed a midwifery education programme that is duly recognized in the country where it is located and that is based on the ICM Essential Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice and the framework of the ICM Global Standards for Midwifery Education; who has acquired the requisite qualifications to be registered and/or legally licensed to practice midwifery and use the title ‘midwife’; and who demonstrates competency in the practice of midwifery. The midwife is recognised as a responsible and accountable professional who works in partnership with women to give the necessary support, care and advice during

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