Childbirth Care Practices Research Articles

Narratives of postpartum women about childbirth care practices

The objective of this article was to investigate the narratives of postpartum women about childbirth care practices. This is narrative research with a qualitative approach, whose setting was the municipality of Sobral, Ceará, in a reference maternity hospital for the 11th health region. Information collection took place in the months of November and December 2023, with 14 postpartum women. The research was approved by the Research Ethics Committee, with opinion no. 6,478,196. Thus, it can be seen that the majority of women had positive perceptions regarding the obstetric care provided by the institution: presence of a companion, satisfaction with the health team, normal birth without medical interventions, recognition of normal birth as the best birth. Thus, it is concluded that the quality of the service at the unit presented as the stage for the interviews shows dynamic access, assistance aimed at care with information and conduct and the encouragement of safe practices for maternal and child health.

An implementation analysis of a quality improvement project to reduce cesarean section in Brazilian private hospitals

BackgroundBrazil has one of the highest prevalence of cesarean sections in the world. The private health system is responsible for carrying out most of these surgical procedures. A quality improvement project called Adequate Childbirth Project (“Projeto Parto Adequado”- PPA) was developed to identify models of care for labor and childbirth, which place value on vaginal birth and reduce the frequency of cesarean sections without a clinical indication. This research aims to evaluate the implementation of PPA in private hospitals in Brazil.MethodEvaluative hospital-based survey, carried out in 2017, in 12 private hospitals, including 4,322 women. We used a Bayesian network strategy to develop a theoretical model for implementation analysis. We estimated and compared the degree of implementation of two major driving components of PPA—“Participation of women” and “Reorganization of care” – among the 12 hospitals and according to type of hospital (belonging to a health insurance company or not). To assess whether the degree of implementation was correlated with the rate of vaginal birth data we used the Bayesian Network and compared the difference between the group “Exposed to the PPA model of care” and the group “Standard of care model”.ResultsPPA had a low degree of implementation in both components “Reorganization of Care” (0.17 – 0.32) and “Participation of Women” (0.21 – 0.34). The combined implementation score was 0.39–0.64 and was higher in hospitals that belonged to a health insurance company. The vaginal birth rate was higher in hospitals with a higher degree of implementation of PPA.ConclusionThe degree of implementation of PPA was low, which reflects the difficulties in changing childbirth care practices. Nevertheless, PPA increased vaginal birth rates in private hospitals with higher implementation scores. PPA is an ongoing quality improvement project and these results demonstrate the need for changes in the involvement of women and the care offered by the provider.

Incorporation, adaptation and rejection of obstetric practices during the implementation of the “Adequate Childbirth Program” in Brazilian private hospitals: a qualitative study

BackgroundThe “Adequate Childbirth Program” (PPA) is a quality improvement project that aims to reduce the high rates of unnecessary cesarean section in Brazilian private hospitals. This study aimed to analyze labor and childbirth care practices after the first phase of PPA implementation.MethodThis study uses a qualitative approach. Eight hospitals were selected. At each hospital, during the period of 5 (five) days, from July to October 2017, the research team conducted face to face interviews with doctors (n = 21) and nurses (n = 28), using semi-structured scripts. For the selection of professionals, the Snowball technique was used. The interviews were transcribed, and the data submitted to Thematic Content Analysis, using the MaxQda software.ResultsThe three analytical dimensions of the process of change in the care model: (1) Incorporation of care practices: understood as the practices that have been included since PPA implementation; (2) Adaptation of care practices: understood as practices carried out prior to PPA implementation, but which underwent modifications with the implementation of the project; (3) Rejection of care practices: understood as those practices that were abandoned or questioned whether or not they should be carried out by hospital professionals.ConclusionsAfter the PPA, changes were made in hospitals and in the way, women were treated. Birth planning, prenatal hospital visits led by experts (for expecting mothers and their families), diet during labor, pharmacological analgesia for vaginal delivery, skin-to-skin contact, and breastfeeding in the first hour of life are all included. To better monitor labor and vaginal birth and to reduce CS without a clinical justification, hospitals adjusted their present practices. Finally, the professionals rejected the Kristeller maneuver since research has demonstrated that using it’s harmful.

Respectful maternity care in Israel during the Covid-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study of associations between childbirth care practices and women’s perceptions of care

BackgroundRespectful maternity care is a crucial part of quality care and is associated with better health outcomes. Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, reports from across the world indicated that infection containment measures were often implemented in ways that resulted in disrespectful care of women during facility-based childbirths in violation of evidence-based practices. This study aimed to explore the associations between childbirth care practices and perceptions of care as satisfactory and respectful among women who delivered in Israeli hospitals during the first six months of the Covid-19 pandemic.MethodsA cross-sectional self-administered online survey was conducted to explore women’s perceptions of maternity care using an adapted version of the WHO Community Survey Tool for measuring how women are treated during facility-based childbirth. Multivariate logistic regression models evaluated the associations between sociodemographic characteristics, obstetric information, and measurements of childbirth experiences and women’s perceptions of receiving respectful and satisfactory care.ResultsThe responses of 981 women were included in the analysis. While the majority of women perceived the care they received as both respectful (86.54%) and satisfactory (80.22%), almost 3 in 4 women (72.68%) reported experiencing at least one type of disrespectful care. Positive communication with the medical staff and respect for autonomy were associated with a more positive birth experience for women. Women were more likely to perceive their care as respectful if they did not feel ignored (AOR = 40.11;22.87–70.34). Perception of satisfactory care was more likely among women who had the opportunity to discuss preferences with the medical staff (AOR = 10.15; 6.93–14.86). Having Covid-19 procedures explained increased the likelihood of reporting respectful and satisfactory care (AOR = 2.89;1.91–4.36; AOR = 2.83;2.01–4).ConclusionUnderstanding which care practices are associated with women’s perceptions of care at facility-based births is critical to ensuring quality care. The findings of this study can inform future work and research aimed at enhancing respectful maternity care during times of crisis and beyond.

Perspectives of pregnant women with COVID-19 on childbirth care practices

Perspectives of pregnant women with COVID-19 on childbirth care practices

Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on labor and childbirth care practices in Brazil: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundIt has been hypothesized that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have changed the conduct of obstetric practices at the time of labor, delivery, and birth. In Brazil, many practices lacking scientific evidence are implemented in this care, which is charcaterized by excessive use of unnecessary interventions. This scenario may have been worsened by the pandemic. Thus, we analyzed the effects of the pandemic on care during prenatal care and delivery by comparing the results of two surveys (one was administered before the pandemic and the other during the pandemic) in public hospitals in Belo Horizonte - Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil.MethodsThis cross-sectional and comparative study analyzed preliminary data from the study “Childbirth and breastfeeding in children of mothers infected with SARS-CoV-2”, which was conducted in three referral maternity hospitals in Belo Horizonte - MG during the pandemic in the first half of 2020 in Brazil. The final sample consisted of 1532 eligible women. These results were compared with data from 390 puerperae who gave birth in the three public hospitals in the study “Birth in Belo Horizonte: labor and birth survey”, conducted before the pandemic to investigate the changes in practices of labor and delivery care for the mother and her newborn, with or without COVID-19 infection, before and during the pandemic. In this research, “Birth in Belo Horizonte: labor and birth survey”, data collection was performed between November 2011 and March 2013 by previously trained nurses. Between study comparisons were performed using Pearson’s chi-square test, with a confidence level of 95%, and using Stata statistical program.ResultsWe found a significant increase in practices recommended by the World Health Organization during the pandemic including the following: diet offering (48.90 to 98.65%), non-pharmacological pain relief (43.84 to 67.57%), and breastfeeding in the newborn´s first hour of life (60.31 to 77.98%) (p < 0.001). We found a significant reduction of non-recommended interventions, such as routine use of episiotomy (15.73 to 2.09%), the Kristeller maneuver (16.55 to 0.94%), oxytocin infusion misused (45.55 to 28.07%), amniotomy (30.81 to 15.08%), and lithotomy position during labor (71.23 to 6.54%) (p < 0.001).ConclusionOur study revealed a statistically significant increase in the proportion of use of recommended practices and a reduction in non-recommended practices during labor and delivery. However, despite advances in the establishment of World Health Organization recommended practices in labor, delivery, and birth, the predominance of interventionist and medicalized practices persists, which is worsened by events, such as the pandemic.

Women’s voice on changes in childbirth care practices: a qualitative approach to women’s experiences in Brazilian private hospitals participating in the Adequate Childbirth Project

BackgroundIn Brazil, childbirth practices are strongly marked by surgical events and particularly in the private sector cesarean sections reach rates above 80%. The National Supplementary Health Agency proposed the Adequate Childbirth Project (PPA), a quality improvement project developed at Brazilian hospitals with the aim of changing the current model of childbirth care and reducing unnecessary cesarean sections. The objective of this study is to assess how the participation of women in the process of improving quality childbirth care occurred in two hospitals participating in the PPA.MethodQualitative study, based on interviews with 102 women attended at two hospitals that took part in the first and second stages of the “Healthy Birth”, an evaluative hospital-based research, conducted in 2017–2018, that assessed the degree of implementation and the effects of PPA. After thematic content analysis, supported by MaxQda software, three categories emerged: (1) how women gathered knowledge about the PPA, (2) how women perceived it, and (3) which are their suggestions for the PPA improvement.ResultsThe PPA was unknown to most women before delivery. A polysemy of terms, including adequate childbirth, promotes recognition of the “new” model of care. Visits to the maternity hospital and antenatal care groups for pregnant women are opportunities for contacts that change the perception of what childbirth can be. Women have expectations of a relationship with maternity that is not limited to the moment of delivery. The listening channels established between hospitals and women are fragile and not systematized. By increasing the supply of listening spaces, one can also increase the request to leave their suggestions and contributions, and thus gain more allies in improving the project. Women are not yet included as PPA agents and their voices are silenced.ConclusionsWomen’s participation to improve childbirth care is relevant and necessary. The women’s voice in the PPA is still incipient, and maternity hospitals and health plan operators should create strategies to insert and engage them. Women’s voices should be listened to not only during but also before and after childbirth.

EVENTOS ADVERSOS OBSTÉTRICOS E NEONATAIS E ASSOCIAÇÃO COM OS MODELOS DE ASSISTÊNCIA: UM ESTUDO COORTE

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the prevalence of practices in childbirth care, obstetric and neonatal adverse events and their association with care models in three public health services. Method: this is a prospective cohort study carried out with 548 dyads, postpartum women and their newborns, whose pregnancy was of usual risk and vaginal birth, admitted to hospital in three public services, one with an exclusive care model by nurse-midwives (service A), one with a collaborative model involving obstetric doctors and nurses (service B) and one with an exclusive medical care model (service C). Initially, an interview was carried out with participants, and a second contact was carried out 42 days after birth to complement the collection of the adverse event outcome. Results: in service A, no woman underwent the Kristeller maneuver, episiotomy, directed pushing or more than one vaginal examination per hour. Meanwhile, in service C, 19.3%, 39.9%, 77.1% and 26.3% of women underwent these interventions, respectively. Adverse events occurred in 19.2% of the dyads. Occurrence of adverse events was associated with not using partograph (p=0.001; OR: 11.03; CI: 2.64-45.99) and episiotomy (p=0.042; OR: 1.72; CI: 1. 02-2.91). The mean probability of experiencing an adverse event was 5% in service A, 21% in service B and 24% in service C. Conclusion: adverse events had a lower mean probability of occurrence in the service exclusively operated by nurse-midwives, in which greater application of recommendations for labor and birth care was identified.

Scaling up Locally Adapted Clinical Practice Guidelines for Improving Childbirth Care in Tanzania: A Protocol for Programme Theory and Qualitative Methods of the PartoMa Scale-up Study

ABSTRACT Effective, low-cost clinical interventions to improve facility-based care during childbirth are critical to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity in low-resource settings. While health interventions for low- and lower-middle-income countries are often developed and implemented top-down, needs and circumstances vary greatly across locations. Our pilot study in Zanzibar improved care through locally co-created intrapartum clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and associated training (the PartoMa intervention). This intervention was context-tailored with health-care providers in Zanzibar and now scaled up within five maternity units in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This PartoMa Scale-up Study thereby provides an opportunity to explore the co-creation process and modification of the intervention in another context and how scale-up might be successfully achieved. The overall protocol is presented in a separate paper. The aim of the present paper is to account for the Scale-up Study’s programme theory and qualitative methodology. We introduce social practice theory and argue for its value within the programme theory and towards qualitative explorations of shifts in clinical practice. The theory recognizes that the practice we aim to strengthen – safe and respectful clinical childbirth care – is not practiced in a vacuum but embedded within a socio-material context and intertwined with other practices. Methodologically, the project draws on ethnographic and participatory methodologies to explore current childbirth care practices. In line with our programme theory, explorations will focus on meanings of childbirth care, material tools and competencies that are being drawn upon, birth attendants’ motivations and relational contexts, as well as other everyday practices of childbirth care. Insights generated from this study will not only elucidate active ingredients that make the PartoMa intervention feasible (or not) but develop the knowledge foundation for scaling-up and replicability of future interventions based on the principles of co-creation and contextualisation.

Assessment of women's satisfaction with labor and childbirth at a teaching hospital.

To assess the satisfaction of puerperal women regarding labor and childbirth. Analytical and cross-sectional research carried out with puerperal women at a teaching hospital. Data were collected from October to December 2020 by a sociodemographic and obstetric questionnaire and the Mackey Childbirth Satisfaction Rating Scale. The scale has 34 items divided into six domains, with a minimum score of 34 and a maximum of 170 points. The mean score was 141 points in a sample of 243 puerperal women, with a standard deviation of 16.8. There was high satisfaction among women in all domains of the scale and low adherence to the best practices in labor and childbirth care currently recommended. The women were satisfied upon the experience. The limitation of the health education process during prenatal care may reduce the parturient' discernment and critical judgment.

Essential newborn care practices in Benin: Are there differences by birth location?

Annually, about 60 infant deaths occur per 1000 live births in Benin; nearly one-half of these deaths occur during the neonatal period. Home- and health facility-based newborn care practices are essential for reducing neonatal death. The aim of this study was to explore relationships between location of childbirth and essential newborn care practices in the Republic of Benin, West Africa. We used cross-sectional data from the 2017 Benin Demographic and Health Survey. The study included 6831 women who had a recent live birth. We used multivariable logistic regression to examine associations between location of birth and early initiation of breastfeeding, breastfeeding support, and cord examination while adjusting for potential confounding factors. There was no significant difference in early initiation of breastfeeding by birth location. Compared to women with home births, those who gave birth in public hospitals, public health centers/clinics, and private health facilities had significantly higher odds of receiving breastfeeding support (public hospitals: OR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.23-2.59; public health centers/clinics: OR: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.46-2.91; private clinics: OR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.35-2.88). Compared with women who gave birth at home, those who gave birth in public health centers/clinics and private health facilities were twice as likely to report newborn cord examination (OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.41-2.79; OR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.36-2.83, respectively). Despite the high prevalence of health facility births in Benin, the coverage of early newborn care is suboptimal, especially in public hospitals. Policies and public health interventions will be required, more so in public hospitals, to ensure that all mothers and newborns receive these potentially life-saving services.

Bioethics in Childbirth Care: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

BackgroundEnsuring women’s rights during childbirth care based on humanized and bioethical principles results in better quality of care and patient safety and provides positive childbirth experiences.ObjectiveWe aim to explore the available evidence on the application of bioethical principles in the general context of childbirth care.MethodsOur scoping review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer’s Manual. Published and unpublished bibliographic materials will be considered based on the following inclusion criteria: reports of the application of bioethical principles (concept) in assistance to the predelivery, childbirth, and postpartum periods (population) in the hospital context (context). We will search for relevant studies in PubMed and the Virtual Health Library, including MEDLINE, LILACS, BDENF, SCiELO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Two reviewers will perform the screening of titles and abstracts, read the full texts, and extract data from the selected articles. The data will then be organized and expressed into categories based on their content.ResultsThe analyzed data will be presented through flowcharts, tables, and descriptive narratives. A paper summarizing the findings from this review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. In addition, a synthesis of the key findings will be disseminated to health services linked to university hospitals in Brazil. They will also be shared with the academic community and policy makers involved in the Childbirth Assistance Network, which will potentially adopt our recommendations in their decision-making process regarding childbirth care practice in Brazil.ConclusionsThe findings from this review will inform, through the translation of knowledge, childbirth support groups, feminist movements, movements in favor of humanization of childbirth, and other childbirth support networks in the country.Trial RegistrationOpen Science Framework; https://osf.io/kczyr/

Obstetric practices in childbirth care and usual risk birth

Abstract Objectives: to analyze the incidence of obstetric practices in labor and childbirth care at usual risk in a tertiary hospital. Methods: cross-sectional, descriptive study with a quantitative approach. Data were collected from 314 Monitoring Sheets of Labor and Childbirth Care of women who had their birth attended at the institution, from July 2017 to July 2018. The study was approved by the research ethics committee, with the embodied opinion number 2.822.707. Results: most women in the study were between 20 and 34 years old, coming from the city of Fortaleza, Ceará; had completed high school; and had unpaid work. The prevalence of good practices was identified: umbilical cord clamping in a timely manner (81.5%), immediate skin-to-skin contact (73.9%), breastfeeding in the childbirth room (74.2%), freedom of position and movement (72.3%), completion of the partograph (66.6%), presence of a companion (66.2%), offer of a liquid diet (65%), and non-pharmacological methods for pain relief (54.8%). As for interventional practices, we identified: venoclysis (42.4%), oxytocin infusion (29%), and amniotomy (11.1%). Conclusions: advances in the adoption of good practices based on scientific evidence are noteworthy; however, the technocratic model of childbirth care for women at normal risk persists.

Home birth preference, childbirth, and newborn care practices in rural Peruvian Amazon.

Home birth is very common in the Peruvian Amazon. In rural areas of the Loreto region, home to indigenous populations such as the Kukama-Kukamiria, birth takes place at home constantly. This study aims to understand the preference for home births as well as childbirth and newborn care practices among Kukama-Kukamiria women in rural Loreto. Following a case study approach, sixty semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with recent mothers who experienced childbirth within one year prior to the interview, female relatives of recent mothers who had a role in childbirth, male relatives of recent mothers, community health workers, and traditional healers. We found that for women from these communities, home birth is a courageous act and an intimate (i.e. members of the community and relatives participate in it) and inexpensive practice in comparison with institutional birth. These preferences are also linked to experiences of mistreatment at health facilities, lack of cultural adaptation of birthing services, and access barriers to them. Preparations for home births included handwashing and cleaning delivery surfaces. After birth, waiting for the godparent to arrive to cut the cord can delay drying of the newborn. Discarding of colostrum, lack of skin-to-skin contact as well as a range of responses regarding immediate breastfeeding and immediate drying of the baby were also found. These findings were used to tailor the educational content of the Mamas del Rio program, where community health workers are trained to identify pregnancy early, perform home visits to pregnant women and newborns, and promote essential newborn care practices in case institutional birth is not desired or feasible. We make recommendations to improve Peru's cultural adaptation of birthing services.

Assessment of delivery and childbirth care in the maternity units of Rede Cegonha: the methodological paths.

This article describes the methodology used to evaluate delivery and childbirth care practices in maternity hospitals that belong to the Rede Cegonha, according to scientific evidence and rights guarantee. It shows the maternity selection criteria, the evaluated guidelines, their devices and check items, the method used to collect information and the treatment of data to obtain the results. It discusses the chosen guidelines and the strategy of returning results to managers and services and discusses their potential to foster management qualification processes and obstetric and neonatal care. This is a study of delivery and childbirth care practices of 606 maternity hospitals selected for the second evaluation cycle of the Rede Cegonha. The methodological paths stood out for the construction of tripartite co-responsibility for the process and the evaluation results, with an emphasis on its usefulness for the decision-makers and the hospital institutions involved.

Labor and childbirth care in maternities participating in the "Rede Cegonha/Brazil": an evaluation of the degree of implementation of the activities.

Using a judgment framework, this article analyzes the degree of implementation of the best practices in labor and childbirth care contained in the guidelines of the Rede Cegonha (RC) across Brazil. The study eligibility criteria were public and mixed hospitals located in a health region with a RC action plan in place in 2015, resulting in a total of 606 facilities distributed across the country. Three different data collection methods were used: face-to-face interviews with managers, health professionals and puerperal women; document analysis; and on-site observation. The framework was built around the five guidelines of the Labor and Childbirth component of the RC. Degree of implantation was rated as follows: adequate; partially adequate and inadequate. The performance of maternity facilities was rated as partially adequate for all guidelines except for hospital environment, which was rated as inadequate. A huge variation in degree of implementation was observed across regions, with the South and Southeast being the best-performing regions in most items. The results reinforce the need for an ongoing evaluation of the actions developed by the RC to inform policy-making and the regulation of labor and childbirth care.

Experiences as Actors: Labor Pains in Childbirth Care in Germany

ABSTRACT Taking labor pains in childbirth care in Germany as a case study, I develop a practice-based notion of experience. Labor pains are sociomaterial experiences and effected actors that are shared and “worked with.” Drawing on fieldwork, I show an extensive repertoire of possible interventions used to deal with, and to co-enact, continuously shifting actorships of labor pains in childbirth care. These actorships include helpful tools, unproductive sensations, effective work, fruitless investments, products of bodily tension, and pure labor pains. Experiences such as labor pains are not only passively known, felt and done but also take active part in shaping (childbirth care) practices.

Women's satisfaction with childbirth and postpartum care and associated variables.

To determine the level of satisfaction with childbirth and the postpartum period. This is a longitudinal, observational study. Clinical variables of the patients and delivery were collected, and a descriptive and inferential analysis was performed. The validated state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) and the satisfaction survey Care in Obstetrics Measure For Testing Satisfaction Scale (COMFORTS) in Spanish were used. A total of 381 women was included in the study and grouped into satisfied vs. dissatisfied (94.54% vs. 5.46%). Women having given birth by eutocic delivery (p = 0.005), as well as those who had skin-to-skin time with their newborn (p = 0.012) after delivery, report more satisfaction. Mothers who were separated from their babies reported being less satisfied (p = 0.004), as did those who did not meet the expectations raised in the birth plan (p = 0.013). All the women with minimal anxiety are satisfied (p = 0.004), the same happening for those showing postpartum anxiety (p <0.001). The percentage of satisfied women is high; it is necessary to monitor childbirth and postpartum care, promoting good practices in childbirth care, as well as in women's emotional well-being.

Assessing the changes in childbirth care practices and neonatal outcomes in Western China: pre-comparison and post-comparison study on early essential newborn care interventions

ObjectiveTo explore the changes in childbirth care practices and health outcomes of newborns after the introduction of early essential newborn care (EENC).DesignA pre-comparison and post-comparison study.SettingThe study was conducted in...

Factors associated with obstetric interventions in public maternity hospitals

Abstract Objectives: to identify the prevalence and factors associated with obstetric interventions in parturients assisted in public maternity hospitals. Methods: a cross-sectional study with 344 puerperal women, from two public maternity hospitals, referring to childbirth by Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) (Public Health Service System) in Londrina City, Paraná, Brazil, between January and June 2017. The medical records were the data source. The following obstetric interventions were considered: oxytocin use, artificial rupture of the membranes, instrumental childbirth and episiotomy. Multivariate Poisson regression was used to analyze associated factors, with p&lt;5% being significant. Results: the prevalence of obstetric intervention was 55.5%, the maximum number of interventions in the same parturient woman was three. The most frequent interventions were the use of oxytocin (50.0%) and artificial rupture of membranes (29.7%). The variables associated on maternal disease (p=0.005) and intrapartum meconium (p=0.022) independently increased, the risk of obstetric intervention, while dilation was equal to or greater than 5 cm at admission, there was a protective factor against this outcome (p=0.030). Conclusion: the prevalence of obstetric interventions was high. In the case of maternal disease and intrapartum meconium, special attention should be given to the parturient woman, in order to avoid unnecessary interventions. Thus, the maternity hospitals need to review their protocols, seeking good practices in childbirth care.