§ 18.6. Practice of midwifery.

 The midwife is authorized and required to do the following:

   (1)  Engage in midwifery practice as defined in §  18.1 (relating to definitions), as further provided for in this subchapter and in accordance with the ethical and quality standards of the profession as required in section 41(8) of the act (63 P. S. §  422.41(8)).

   (2)  Maintain a midwife protocol and collaborative agreements, and make them available for inspection by clients and the Board upon request.

   (3)  Prescribe medical, therapeutic and diagnostic measures for essentially normal women and their normal neonates in accordance with the midwife protocol or a collaborative agreement, or both.

   (4)  Administer specified drugs as provided in collaborative agreements or as directed by a collaborating physician for a specific patient and, if specifically authorized to do so in a collaborative agreement, relay to other health care providers medical regimens prescribed by the collaborating physician, including drug regimens.

   (5)  Perform medical services in the care of women and newborns that may be beyond the scope of midwifery, if the authority to perform those services is delegated by the collaborating physician in the collaborative agreement, the delegation is consistent with standards of practice embraced by the midwife and the relevant physician communities in this Commonwealth, and the delegated medical services do not involve the prescribing or dispensing of drugs.

   (6)  Refer and transfer to the care of a physician, as provided for in the midwife protocol or a collaborative agreement, or both, those women and newborns whose medical problems are outside the scope of midwifery practice and who require medical services which have not been delegated to the midwife in a collaborative agreement.

   (7)  Review and revise the midwife protocol and collaborative agreements as needed.

   (8)  Carry out responsibilities placed by law or regulation upon a person performing the functions that are performed by the midwife.

   The provisions of this §  18.6 amended under section 2 of the act of April 4, 1929 (P. L. 160, No. 155) (63 P. S. §  172); and sections 8 and 35(a) of the Medical Practice Act of 1985 (63 P. S. § §  422.8 and 422.35(a)).

   The provisions of this §  18.6 adopted January 2, 1987, effective immediately and applies retroactively to December 31, 1986, 17 Pa.B. 24; amended May 19, 1989, effective May 20, 1989, 19 Pa.B. 2161. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (114029).