Journal of midwifery & women's health最新文献

Taking care of your health is one of the most important things that you can do for yourself. If you are in good health, then you can take care of those who need your help. The more we know about our health, the better we can prevent certain health conditions or find them early. This handout reviews the health screenings and vaccines that are recommended for adults of all ages.

You can discuss how often you should be seen for a health check-up and which tests would be helpful for you with your health care provider. Screening tests give you information about your overall health. Vaccinations recommended for healthy people who have received the recommended childhood vaccinations are also listed. Your health care provider may offer some screening tests earlier than recommended, depending on your health history, family history, or if you are having symptoms of a health problem.

The recommendations in this chart are general suggestions. It is important to discuss the tests and vaccines with your health care provider. Recommendations by your health care provider depend on your personal health history. Your health care provider may suggest more frequent testing or more tests if you have a family history or personal health history that suggests you have a higher chance of getting cancer or other diseases.

Health Screenings and Immunizations for Women

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 8.8

Approved June 2025. This handout replaces “Taking Care of Your Health” published in Volume 62, Issue 3, May/June 2017.

This handout may be reproduced for noncommercial use by health care professionals to share with patients, but modifications to the handout are not permitted. The information and recommendations in this handout are not a substitute for health care. Consult your health care provider for information specific to you and your health.

If you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant soon, you have a great opportunity to start making healthy lifestyle changes. Eating a well-balanced diet, setting a healthy weight gain goal, avoiding harmful substances, getting 7–8 hours of sleep, exercising regularly, taking a daily prenatal vitamin and having regular prenatal checkups all help keep you healthy in pregnancy. Staying healthy in pregnancy helps your baby have a healthy start. It also decreases your chance of complications in pregnancy and increases the chance you will have a healthy birth.

The International Confederation of Midwives Essential Competencies and the American College of Nurse-Midwives Core Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice include essential skills needed for safe entry-level practice and provision of person-centered care to individuals from diverse backgrounds. However, opportunities for midwifery students to interact with diverse patient populations may be limited, especially in homogenous areas. Education programs struggle to recruit standardized patients from wide-ranging social, cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. In addition, midwifery students may lack skills or experience in providing culturally responsive care, potentially affecting patients and exacerbating health disparities. This article reports on the pilot use of an online artificial intelligence (AI) simulation platform to prepare midwifery students for person-centered telehealth with culturally and socially diverse, underserved patients. The platform used generative technology to produce interactive avatars with detailed histories and allowed spontaneous and adaptive conversations between the virtual patient and midwife-in-training. Ease of use, avatar fidelity, ability to incorporate diverse cultural elements, student learning, time, and cost in the development were assessed. Case development requires collaboration and an iterative approach. Similar to traditional simulation, AI-based simulations require careful planning, pre- and debriefing discussions, and continuous improvement efforts for maximal student learning. Generative AI-based simulations can enable efficient, flexible preparation for patient-centered, culturally appropriate telehealth.

Maternal health disparities persist as a significant issue in the United States, with Black, Indigenous, and marginalized women facing disproportionately high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality. Despite the United States having the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries, addressing these disparities remains a challenge, particularly in rural areas and within underserved communities. One key strategy in mitigating these disparities involves training health care providers to recognize and combat systemic biases, particularly those rooted in race. This article discusses the development, implementation, and evaluation of a dedicated antiracism and health disparity prevention course developed for midwifery students at the University of Minnesota. In addition to content embedded in the existing midwifery curriculum, a course was designed and integrated that addresses racism, health disparities, and cultural competence designed for second-semester Doctor of Nursing Practice students. Faculty use a structured framework to increase awareness of implicit biases, historical oppression, and the importance of culturally sensitive care. The course encourages self-reflection and equips students with actionable strategies to address systemic inequities in maternal care. Students reported increased self-awareness and a stronger commitment to addressing racism in health care. Despite challenges such as balancing credit loads and emotional labor, midwifery students report that it positively contributes to their education. Additionally, the course has garnered interest from students and faculty in other health care disciplines. The authors advocate for the integration of such courses across health care programs to foster more equitable, antiracist practices within maternal health care.