Beyond the limited efficiency and economy goals of neoliberal health policy lies the promise of genuine health services reform. In maternity care in particular, recent policy developments have sought to make the management of birth more ‘women-centred and family-friendly’. Interprofessional collaboration and greater consumer participation in policy and decision-making are key means to achieve t...

This paper investigates the occurrence of potentially avoidable perinatal deaths by associating failures in obstetric care with structural deficiencies in four maternity hospital comprising the local health care system in a city in Greater Metropolitan Rio de Janeiro in 1994. Information sources were a questionnaire, interview, observation, and hospital records. A theoretical organizational mod...

In this article, we discuss the use of critical medical anthropology (CMA) as a theoretical framework for research in the maternity care setting. With reference to the doctoral research of the first author, we argue for the relevance of using CMA for research into the maternity care setting, particularly as it relates to midwifery. We then give an overview of an existing analytic model within C...

BACKGROUND The World Health Organization recently made a recommendation supporting 'culturally-appropriate' maternity care services to improve maternal and newborn health. This recommendation results, in part, from a systematic review we conducted, which showed that interventions to provide culturally-appropriate maternity care have largely improved women's use of skilled maternity care. Factor...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all preterm infants receive human milk. The objective of this study was to describe the use of human milk in advanced care neonatal units of US maternity hospitals. METHODS We used Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's national Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care survey from 2007, 2009, and 2011 to anal...

abstract background: despite the scientific and medical advances for management of complicated health issues, the current maternity care setting has increased risks for healthy women and their babies. the aim of this study was to conduct an overview of published systematic reviews on the interventions used most commonly for management of normal labor and delivery in the first stage of labor. ma...

Background The AAFP convened a panel to systematically review the available evidence on trial of labor after cesarean delivery (TOLAC) using the Agency for Healt Report on Vaginal Birth after Cesarean (VBAC) along with additional literature review. The panel developed a comprehensive, evidence-based guideline for Trial of Labor after Cesarean (TOLAC), formerly Trial of Labor Versus Elective Rep...

BACKGROUND There are two dimensions of quality of maternity care, namely quality of health outcomes and quality as perceived by clients. The feasibility of using clinical audit to assess and improve the quality of maternity care as perceived by women was studied in Malawi. OBJECTIVE We sought to (a) establish standards for women friendly care and (b) explore attitudinal barriers which could i...

BACKGROUND Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for approximately 66% of global maternal deaths. Poor person-centered maternity care, which emphasizes the quality of patient experience, contributes both directly and indirectly to these poor outcomes. Yet, few studies in low resource settings have examined what is important to women during childbirth from their perspective. The aim of this study is to ex...