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The AMA has released its Position Statement on Maternal Decision-Making.
The Position Statement highlights the AMA’s policy on maternal decision-making, where a pregnant woman has the same right to privacy, body integrity, and to make her own informed, autonomous health care decisions as any competent individual.
AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said that the AMA promotes a positive, supportive and collaborative approach to health care, where patients are supported in making their own informed health care decisions.
“Doctors play an important role in supporting pregnant women to make fully informed health care decisions by providing advice on the risks and benefits to both the woman and the fetus of lifestyle and medical treatment options,” Dr Hambleton said.
“A pregnant woman’s fully informed health care decision regarding lifestyle behaviours and medical treatment should be respected.”
(Source: Australian Medical Association : Position Statement on Maternal Decision-Making)
For more information about pregnancy, including preconception advice, stages of pregnancy, investigations, complications, living with pregnancy and birth, see Pregnancy.
Article Date: 28/4/2013 
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By Kathleen Doheny
For more information on immunisation, including the childhood immunisation scedule, types of vaccines, preconception screening, as well as some useful videos, see Immunisation.
By Serena Gordon
New research revealing links between two global health challenges – depression and chronic lung disease – suggest screening for both disorders simultaneously could improve outcomes for patients.The study by Senior Research Fellow Dr Evan Atlantis(opens in new window) from the University of Western Sydney, and colleagues, found patients with diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who also had depression or anxiety consistently had worse outcomes including increased mortality.The researchers report in CHEST - the online journal of the American College of Chest Physicians(opens in new window) COPD patients with comorbid depression had an 83 percent increased risk of mortality.Additionally, COPD patients had a much higher chance of also being diagnosed with depression. Forty percent of COPD patients had clinically relevant depression and anxiety compared to less than 10 percent in the general population across most countries surveyed.The researchers analysed data from longitudinal studies in adult populations that reported an association between clinically relevant depression or anxiety and COPD, or reported their combined risk for having an exacerbation (a serious worsening of COPD) and/or dying.“It’s clear from the studies we reviewed that depression and anxiety adversely affect prognosis for COPD patients and COPD patients have a greater likelihood of having depression or anxiety compared to the general population,” says Dr Atlantis, who is a member of the UWS School of Nursing and Midwifery’s Family and Community Health Research Group(opens in new window).“Screening for these disease combinations would identify patients with both COPD and depression/anxiety and provide clinicians the opportunity to treat both problems at the same time - potentially delivering a better overall health outcome.”Depression or anxiety comorbidity in COPD patients predict poor adherence to pulmonary rehabilitation and COPD-related medications, decreased exercise capacity and health-related quality of life. There is also lost productivity and increased health resource utilisation and functional disability and increased risk of exacerbation and mortality.“Currently about 10 percent of the world’s population aged 40 years and older have COPD,” says Dr Atlantis.“COPD rates increase with age, independently of smoking history. So, an aging world population will increase the rates of COPD and undoubtedly cause significant stress on healthcare systems in high-income countries, and may threaten economic growth in developing countries.”
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