ZOOM Monday 18 March 2024 - Use of opioids after Caesarean birth: implications for breastfeeding families
Event description
Presenter:Gerrard Ferreira BPharm, Obstetric Pharmacist KEMH
About: Caesarean Section Opioid Use – evaluation of analgesia used at a maternity hospital in Perth.
In 2021, 38% of all women giving birth in Australia had a Caesarean section (CS). This commonly performed surgical procedure can be planned (elective) or unplanned (non-elective). Pain relief is commonplace in managing a patient's comfort and recovery post-operatively. A large part of said analgesia includes opioids whilst very effective for pain relief come with their own set of risks. This presentation will outline the results of the study and furthermore compare the difference between opioids used for different C-sections and more. Further investigation on the usage of different opioids will be reported. It was observed that Non-elective Caesarean sections commonly required more pain relief and had longer average lengths of stay in the hospital when compared to elective Caesarean sections.
I am a passionate pharmacist at King Edward Memorial Hospital and work weekends in a community pharmacy. I have a particular interest in public health and well-being and thoroughly enjoy the women's and mental health fields. I am an ex National Australian Pharmacy Students Association (NAPSA) executive director and past president of The UWA Master of Pharmacy Society (UWAMPS). I studied my Master of Pharmacy at UWA and before that did an Honours in Biomedical Science at UWA. My undergraduate degree was Biomedical Science where I specialised in microbiology and immunology. I have a passion for continued learning and am currently doing an MBA to broaden my skills in management, leadership, and business knowledge.
