Birth outcomes in a tertiary teaching hospitals and local outposts: a novel approach to service delivery from Iran

Which low- and middle-income countries have midwife-led birthing centres and what are the main characteristics of these centres? A scoping review and scoping survey

Evidence about the safety and benefits of midwife-led care during childbirth has led to midwife-led settings being recommended for women with uncomplicated pregnancies. However, most of the research on this topic comes from high-income countries. Relatively little is known about the availability and characteristics of midwife-led birthing centres in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aimed to identify which LMICs have midwife-led birthing centres, and their main characteristics. The study was conducted in two parts: a scoping review of peer-reviewed and grey literature, and a scoping survey of professional midwives' associations and United Nations Population Fund country offices. We used nine academic databases and the Google search engine, to locate literature describing birthing centres in LMICs in which midwives or nurse-midwives were the lead care providers. The review included 101 items published between January 2012 and February 2022. The survey consisted of a structured online questionnaire, and responses were received from 77 of the world's 137 low- and middle-income countries. We found at least one piece of evidence indicating that midwife-led birthing centres existed in 57 low- and middle-income countries. The evidence was relatively strong for 24 of these countries, i.e. there was evidence from at least two of the three types of source (peer-reviewed literature, grey literature, and survey). Only 14 of them featured in the peer-reviewed literature. Low- and lower-middle-income countries were more likely than upper-middle-income countries to have midwife-led birthing centres. The most common type of midwife-led birthing centre was freestanding. Public-sector midwife-led birthing centres were more common in middle-income than in low-income countries. Some were staffed entirely by midwives and some by a multidisciplinary team. We identified challenges to the midwifery philosophy of care and to effective referral systems. The peer-reviewed literature does not provide a comprehensive picture of the locations and characteristics of midwife-led birthing centres in low- and middle-income countries. Many of our findings echo those from high-income countries, but some appear to be specific to some or all low- and middle-income countries. The study highlights knowledge gaps, including a lack of evidence about the impact and costs of midwife-led birthing centres in low- and middle-income countries.

Exploring networks of care in implementing midwife-led birthing centres in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review

The evidence for the benefits of midwifery has grown over the past two decades and midwife-led birthing centres have been established in many countries. Midwife-led care can only make a sustained and large-scale contribution to improved maternal and newborn health outcomes if it is an integral part of the health care system but there are challenges to the establishment and operation of midwife-led birthing centres. A network of care (NOC) is a way of understanding the connections within a catchment area or region to ensure that service provision is effective and efficient. This review aims to evaluate whether a NOC framework-in light of the literature about midwife-led birthing centres-can be used to map the challenges, barriers and enablers with a focus on low-to-middle income countries. We searched nine academic databases and located 40 relevant studies published between January 2012 and February 2022. Information about the enablers and challenges to midwife-led birthing centres was mapped and analysed against a NOC framework. The analysis was based on the four domains of the NOC: 1) agreement and enabling environment, 2) operational standards, 3) quality, efficiency, and responsibility, 4) learning and adaptation, which together are thought to reflect the characteristics of an effective NOC.Of the 40 studies, half (n = 20) were from Brazil and South Africa. The others covered an additional 10 countries. The analysis showed that midwife-led birthing centres can provide high-quality care when the following NOC elements are in place: a positive policy environment, purposeful arrangements which ensure services are responsive to users' needs, an effective referral system to enable collaboration across different levels of health service and a competent workforce committed to a midwifery philosophy of care. Challenges to an effective NOC include lack of supportive policies, leadership, inter-facility and interprofessional collaboration and insufficient financing. The NOC framework can be a useful approach to identify the key areas of collaboration required for effective consultation and referral, to address the specific local needs of women and their families and identify areas for improvement in health services. The NOC framework could be used in the design and implementation of new midwife-led birthing centres.

Effect of a Supportive Communication Educational Program on Women's Satisfaction With Childbirth Experiences in Local Safe Delivery Posts in Iran

PURPOSE

To investigate the effect of a supportive communication educational program on satisfaction with childbirth experiences among the women giving birth in the local safe delivery posts (SDPs).

METHODS

This quasi-experimental study was conducted during September 23, 2017 and December 22, 2017. In the first phase, seven midwives were subjected to a supportive communication training program in one of two unique local SDPs in Zahedan, Iran. In the second phase, 300 women who gave birth at the SDPs (150 cases in each SDP) were entered into the study. The data were collected using the Mackey Childbirth Satisfaction Rating Scale (MCSRS).

RESULTS

The intervention group had a higher mean childbirth satisfaction score in all five subdomains, compared to the control group. However, this difference was statistically significant only in the “general” (p < .001) and “self” (p = .003) subdomains of the MCSRS. The regression model showed if the women's labor experience was just like the way they expected, they were 5.99 times more likely to be satisfied with childbirth care in SDPs.

CONCLUSION

As the findings indicated, this program made childbirth care experiences more satisfactory for disadvantaged women.