Nurse's Role in taking care of Pregnant Women with Sexually Transmitted Diseases during Childbirth

Abstract

Sexually transmitted infection (STI) is on the rise in global. According to the Division of Medical statistics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of medicine Siriraj Hospital, during 2016-2021, the top three most common STIs among pregnant women being in the process of delivery were syphlilis, anogenital warts and herpes genitalis. The incidence of syphilis was doubled in 2021 compared with that in 2016. Women with STIs tend to have adverse reproductive outcomes and poor perinatal outcomes, including infertility, intra-amniotic infection, and prelabour rupture of membranes, post-partum endometritis and pelvic inflammatory diseases as well as psychosocial effects such as embarrassment, sadness, or anxiety about transmitting the infection to the newborn. Nursing care in the labour room is thus pivotal. Nurses at the septic labour room, where pregnant women with any STIs are taken care of, need to be continuously well-trained in order to harmoniously work with obstetricians, pediatricians as well as doctors from other Departments being involved. They are responsible for screening STIs, detecting abnormal findings favor STIs, giving treatment according to the Siriraj clinical pathways, communicating with pregnant women’s family and prevention of disease spreading to medical personnel. The optimal goal is to minimize poor maternal and neonatal outcomes; and set zero for the new STI cases in this critical period of women’s life.