Fetal surveillance: issues and implications.
In the past, the fetus was considered healthy until evidence was presented to the contrary. With the acceptance of fetal surveillance as part of the pregnancy experience, diagnostic testing and data are thought to be necessary to prove the healthiness of the fetus. The availability of fetal surveillance techniques has transformed the pregnancy experience from a developmental process and a miracle of nature to a risk-dominated and technology-guided event. The implications of this trend significantly affect the care of pregnant women and the role of nurses as providers of comprehensive, individualized nursing care.
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing, Richmond 23298-0567, USA.
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Raines
D005260:Female; D005323:Fetal Monitoring / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing*; D005820:Genetic Testing; D006801:Humans; D016389:Maternal-Child Nursing; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing*; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical