This paper investigates the marginalization of certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) in the US. This marginalization occurs despite ample evidence demonstrating that a midwifery model delivers high-quality cost-effective care. Currently midwives attend only 7% of births, compared to 50-75% of births in other developed countries. Given the escalating costs of health care and relatively poor maternal a...

This paper investigates the marginalization of certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) in the US. This marginalization occurs despite ample evidence demonstrating that a midwifery model delivers highquality cost-effective care. Currently midwives attend only 7% of births, compared to 50–75% of births in other developed countries. Given the escalating costs of health care and relatively poor maternal an...

BACKGROUND Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is still one of the major causes of severe maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Currently, no guideline for PPH occurring in primary midwifery care in the Netherlands is available. A set of 25 quality indicators for prevention and management of PPH in primary care has been developed by an expert panel consisting of midwives, obstetricians, ambulanc...

There has been substantial reform in the past decade in the provision of maternal and child health services, and specifically regarding models of maternity care. Increasingly, midwives are working together in small groups to provide midwife-led continuity of care. This article reviews the current evidence for models of maternity care that provide midwifery continuity of care, in terms of their ...

This paper analyses the history of the subordination of midwifery to medicine and nursing. With the important exception of Evan Willis' work on medical dominance and Annette Summers' work on the takeover of midwifery by nursing, other histories of Australian midwifery have taken a neutral approach to issue of power and control. The aim of analysing this period is to identify the strategies of p...

BACKGROUND Satisfaction with birth care is part of quality assessment of care. The aim of this study was to investigate possible differences in satisfaction with intrapartum care among low-risk women, randomized to a midwifery unit or to an obstetric unit within the same hospital. METHODS Randomized controlled trial conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Østfold Hospital Tr...

BACKGROUND A "less than good" experience during childbirth can affect a mother's early interaction with her child and may significantly influence a woman's emotional well-being. In this study, we focus on clients who experienced midwifery care provided during childbirth as "less than good" care. The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between client-related factors and the expe...

BACKGROUND The Irish government has committed to expand midwifery-led care alongside consultant-led care nationally, although very little is known about the potential net benefits of this reconfiguration. OBJECTIVES To formally compare the costs and benefits of the major models of care in Ireland, with a view to informing priority setting using the contingent valuation technique and cost-bene...

This paper describes a multidisciplinary project of curriculum development and implementation at one university. Universal learning concepts for six health care disciplines in women's health, including nurse-midwifery, are being piloted in an online classroom environment. This multidisciplinary team approach to education distributes the work load, invites experts to share resources, and avoids ...

BACKGROUND Despite research indicating that health, cost, and quality of care outcomes in midwife-led maternity care are comparable with and in some case preferable to those for patients with physician-led care, midwifery plays a more important role in some U.S. states than in others. However, this variability is not well-understood. OBJECTIVES This study estimates the association between sta...