L du Toit-Prinsloo
Evaluating the Current Knowledge of Legislation and Practice of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the Management of Foetal Remains in South Africa
du Toit-Prinsloo, L; Pickles, C; Lombaard, H
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In the clinical setting, the main legislative provisions governing the management and 'disposal' of fetal remains in South Africa are the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act 92 of 1996 and the Births and Deaths Registration Act 51 of 1992 OBJECTIVES: To determine obstetricians' and gynaecologists' current knowledge of this legislation. Current practice with regard to certification of death and methods of disposal of fetal material was also reviewed METHODS: A questionnaire-based study was conducted. The data collected included demographic details, qualifications, years of experience, working environment (public/private practice), responses to general questions reviewing knowledge of current legislation, and practical experience RESULTS: Seventy-six questionnaires were returned, with practitioners from the private and public sectors nearly equally represented. It was found that there is a concerning gap in obstetricians' and gynaecologists' knowledge of the law, and that some practitioners are acting outside the scope of the law. The study further revealed that patients' needs are not properly accommodated under the current legislative provisions, because the law prevents certain remains from being respectfully managed CONCLUSIONS: The study findings suggest that improved training of practitioners, together with possible law reform, are required to better serve the needs of patients
Citation
du Toit-Prinsloo, L., Pickles, C., & Lombaard, H. (2016). Evaluating the Current Knowledge of Legislation and Practice of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the Management of Foetal Remains in South Africa. South African Medical Journal, 106(4), 403-406. https://doi.org/10.7196/samj.2016.v106i4.10214
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Oct 23, 2015 |
Online Publication Date | Apr 1, 2016 |
Publication Date | Apr 1, 2016 |
Deposit Date | Sep 23, 2019 |
Publicly Available Date | Sep 26, 2019 |
Journal | South African Medical Journal |
Print ISSN | 0256-9574 |
Electronic ISSN | 2078-5135 |
Publisher | South African Medical Association |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 106 |
Issue | 4 |
Pages | 403-406 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.7196/samj.2016.v106i4.10214 |
Public URL | https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1291125 |
Files
Published Journal Article
(174 Kb)
PDF
Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
You might also like
Childbirth, Vulnerability and Law
(2019)
Book
Downloadable Citations
About Durham Research Online (DRO)
Administrator e-mail: dro.admin@durham.ac.uk
This application uses the following open-source libraries:
SheetJS Community Edition
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
PDF.js
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
Font Awesome
SIL OFL 1.1 (http://scripts.sil.org/OFL)
MIT License (http://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.html)
CC BY 3.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
Powered by Worktribe © 2025
Advanced Search