Obstetricians on the labour ward

Obstetricians on the labour ward: implications of medical staffing structures.

The 1981 Short report onmedical education in Britain recommended changes in the medical career structure.' Many other reports have addressed the fundamental problem associated with the traditional three tier structure of the consultant led team consisting of consultants, registrars, and house officers. In essence this problem arises from two conflicting requirements: the need to provide trainin...

The Student's Guide to the Labour Ward

Birth "Out-of-Hours": An Evaluation of Obstetric Practice and Outcome According to the Presence of Senior Obstetricians on the Labour Ward.

BACKGROUND Concerns have been raised that a lack of senior obstetricians ("consultants") on the labour ward outside normal hours may lead to worse outcomes among babies born during periods of reduced cover. METHODS AND FINDINGS We carried out a multicentre cohort study using data from 19 obstetric units in the United Kingdom between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013 to examine whether rates of o...

Evidence-based labour ward guidelines for the diagnosis, management and treatment of spontaneous preterm labour.

Currently, there is considerable variation in the way spontaneous preterm labour is diagnosed and managed internationally. As a result, 12 international leading experts from 10 countries met to establish consensus on clinical recommendations and guidelines regarding the diagnosis, management and treatment of spontaneous preterm labour. The consensus was supported by evidence from quality litera...

Care during the third stage of labour: A postal survey of UK midwives and obstetricians

BACKGROUND There are two approaches to care during the third stage of labour: Active management includes three components: administration of a prophylactic uterotonic drug, cord clamping and controlled cord traction. For physiological care, intervention occurs only if there is clinical need. Evidence to guide care during the third stage is limited and there is variation in recommendations which...