A midwife failed to provide sufficient medical attention to a woman with pre-eclampsia, the Health and Disability Commissioner has found.
Commissioner Anthony Hill found the midwife in breach of Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights (the Code) after she failed to identify and respond appropriately the woman's developing pre-eclampsia.
Pre-eclampsia is a condition, characterised by high blood pressure, that if left untreated can lead to seizures that put a woman and her baby at risk, and in rare cases cause death.
The midwife was found in breach of the code after the 26-year-old pregnant woman she was caring for presented with symptoms of the condition several times but was not provided with sufficient treatment.
At a routine antenatal check with her midwife, she was found to have high blood pressure and to have been experiencing visual disturbances after which the midwife advised her of the symptoms of pre-eclampsia and told her to make contact if she experienced these symptoms.