NICE clinical guideline: hypertension in pregnancy - the role and responsibilities of midwives

Crafter, Helen
Garland, Dianne

Helen Crafter and Dianne Garland are practising midwives and trustees of Action on Pre-eclampsia (APEC), a national charity whose aims are to:
^*Educate, inform and advise the public and health professionals about the prevalence, nature and risks of pre-eclampsia
^*Campaign for greater public awareness of the disease and for action to improve methods of detection and treatment
^*Provide support for people who suffer or have suffered from preeclampsia and their families and
^*Promote research into the causes of the disease and appropriate screening methods.

MIDIRS Midwifery Digest 21(2):p 177-182, June 2011.

In 2010 The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) released its guideline for the management of hypertension in pregnancy. This article relates to the information contained in the full guideline. Also available are Hypertension in pregnancy: quick reference guide, a short version, and Understanding NICE guidance: high blood pressure in pregnancy for women using NHS services. All Trusts should now be incorporating the NICE guidance into their local guidelines. Since publication, two amendments have been made to the text and these are taken into account below.