OBJECTIVE it is not known how acupuncture is used in midwifery care in Sweden and what kind of requirements health-care providers have for midwives and acupuncture training programmes. The aims of this study were to survey indications for the use of acupuncture in midwifery care in Sweden, and to examine the criteria and requirements used for purchase of acupuncture education programmes. DESI...

BACKGROUND A lack of standard terminology or means to identify and define models of maternity care in Australia has prevented accurate evaluations of outcomes for mothers and babies in different models of maternity care. OBJECTIVE As part of the Commonwealth-funded National Maternity Data Development Project, a classification system was developed utilising a data set specification that define...

BACKGROUND Antenatal corticosteroids administered to women at risk of preterm birth is an intervention which has been proved to reduce the risk of respiratory distress syndrome, intraventricular hemorrhage, and neonatal mortality. There is a significant gap in the literature regarding the prevalence of the use of antenatal corticosteroids in Latin American countries and the attitudes and opinio...

BACKGROUND Available birth settings have diversified in Canada since the integration of regulated midwifery. Midwives are required to offer eligible women choice of birth place; and 25-30% of midwifery clients plan home births. Canadian provincial health ministries have instituted reimbursement schema and regulatory guidelines to ensure access to midwives in all settings. Evidence from well-des...

General practitioners are essential providers of maternity care, particularly in rural and remote locations T hroughout the world, the role of general practitioners in maternity care is changing and being redefined. Over 10 years ago, a decline in GP-led obstetric care in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand was noted, and this trend appears to have continued. 1,2 There were 481 GP ...

The impact of rapid increase in institutional birth rate in Nepal on women's satisfaction and planned future utilization of services is less well known. This study aimed to measure women's satisfaction with maternity care and its correlation with intended future utilisation. Data came from a nationally representative facility-based survey conducted across 13 districts in Nepal and included clie...

A new Milbank Report focuses on the potential to greatly improve maternity care in the United States through greater fidelity to evidence-based practice. The report, authored by Carol Sakala and Maureen Corry, was developed collaboratively by Childbirth Connection and the Milbank Memorial Fund along with members of the Reforming States Group. Childbirth Connection is a national, notfor-profit o...

BACKGROUND Many women experience psychological trauma during birth. A traumatic birth can impact on postnatal mental health and family relationships. It is important to understand how interpersonal factors influence women's experience of trauma in order to inform the development of care that promotes optimal psychosocial outcomes. METHODS As part of a large mixed methods study, 748 women comp...

OBJECTIVE To obtain a snapshot of the maternal and newborn care provided by different types of maternal and child health providers in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to 1) better inform advocacy and programmatic strategies and interventions to improve the quality of those services in the region, and 2) determine the need for more rigorous study of the issues. METHODS A rapid assessment ...

In many cities, healthcare is available through a complex mix of private and public providers. The line between the formal and informal sectors may be blurred and movement between them uncharted. We quantified the use of private and public providers of maternity care in low-income areas of Mumbai, India. We identified births among a population of about 300 000 in 48 vulnerable slum areas and in...