Midwives & Doctors Offer the Best of Both Worlds September 30, 2022 By Certified Nurse-Midwife Emily Zeno Yeast, Samaritan Obstetrics & Gynecology – Corvallis If you are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant and are looking for a health care provider, you’ll want to know about the team-based care we offer at Samaritan Obstetrics, Gynecology & Midwifery in Corvallis. Our clinic is home to seven midwives and five physicians. What Is Collaborative Care? Team-based prenatal care, also known as collaborative care, includes experts in normal pregnancy and childbirth (certified nurse-midwives) and experts in high-risk pregnancy and surgery (obstetricians). Research has shown the quality of care and the overall experience of pregnant people and their families are often improved with team-based care that is provided by midwives and doctors working together. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American College of Nurse-Midwives recognize the importance of providing options and honoring the preferences of patients, and that the patient is the most important member of the health care team. In addition to health history and concerns, we want to know each patient’s needs and desires – for their health and their pregnancy, labor and delivery. The team focuses on meeting the needs of the individual patient and their family. Collaborative care can benefit a patient across their lifespan, ensuring coordinated communication among all health care providers, reducing unnecessary testing and improving their experience. Care becomes fluid and transparent to the patient and their family. Collaborative care improves health outcomes. It allows patients to receive the appropriate level of care, improves patient satisfaction, improves communication among providers, and increases access to care. This kind of care results in a higher likelihood of vaginal birth, less chance of cesarean delivery and lower preterm birth rates. At Samaritan Obstetrics & Gynecology – Corvallis, certified nurse-midwives deliver more than 90 percent of the babies born vaginally. We independently manage low-risk labors and collaborate with our clinic’s obstetricians on moderate to high-risk labors. If a cesarean delivery is needed, the midwives assist and remain closely involved in the patient’s care. This unique model of care in our practice, where moderate- and high-risk patients are collaboratively managed by both a midwife and an obstetrician, is the best of both worlds! About Certified Nurse-midwives Certified nurse-midwives provide reproductive and gynecologic health care for people throughout the life span. These services include general health checks, annual and physical exams, family planning and birth control options, treatment of sexually transmitted infections and of course, pregnancy, birth and postpartum care. They are able to prescribe a full range of medications and treatments. The midwifery approach to health care has never been more important. Today’s patient expects the best care; they expect health care providers to understand and value their individual needs and partner with them in making health decisions. With advanced education and focus on research, nurse-midwives listen to what is important to each person’s unique situation and work with other members of the health care team to achieve a holistic, satisfying and safe outcome. Your midwife will also work with other health care providers: nurses, social workers, nutritionists, doulas, childbirth educators, physical therapists and other specialists to help you get the care you need. Our midwives work with physicians who specialize in complications of pregnancy. If you have a medical problem during pregnancy or complication during labor, your midwife will work with a physician to make sure you get the best and safest care for you and your baby. Midwives do not perform surgery. If you need to have a cesarean birth, the surgery will be done by the physician who works with your midwife. Midwives are often present during cesarean births and assist the surgeons. To reach Certified Nurse Midwife Emily Zeno Yeast or to find out more about the collaborative care offered by midwives and physicians at Samaritan Obstetrics & Gynecology in Corvallis, call 541-768-5300.
