Childbirth in Brazil: challenging an interventionist paradigm

Intentionality of women's actions in labor: a study in social phenomenology

OBJECTIVE

to understand the intentionality of women's autonomous actions in labor.

METHODS

a study in Alfred Schütz's social phenomenology, developed with 15 puerperal women admitted to a university hospital in southern Brazil. Data were collected through phenomenological interviews and analyzed according to the adopted framework and the comparison with scientific productions.

RESULTS

the actions intended to receive physical and emotional support from their companions, from pregnancy, for a peaceful delivery with less pain, fast and without interventions. The intention was to do the right things for the child's well-being and, after delivery, to be painless and active to take care of their children.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

women's actions have intentionality arising from their knowledge, which is guided by the social relationships established in the world of life.

Psychometric properties of the Mackey Childbirth Satisfaction Rating Scale cross-culturally adapted to Brazilian Portuguese

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of Mackey Childbirth Satisfaction Rating Scale (MCSRS).

METHODS

The MCSRS questionnaire was applied to postpartum mothers before discharge at low-risk maternity hospital in Brazil. The inclusion criteria were maternal age between 18 and 34 years, delivery of a live infant, and gestational age at birth over 36 weeks. In analyzing psychometric properties, dimensionality was evaluated by exploratory factor analysis and reliability by Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega.

RESULTS

Fifty-three questionnaires were filled out by the postpartum mothers for an analysis of psychometric properties. Of the participants, 84.9% had vaginal deliveries; and 58.5% had deliveries by obstetricians and 41.5% by midwives. Two latent dimensions model was significantly better than those obtained with the single-factor model (Dc233 = 145.9, p < .001). The first dimension explains 35% of the variance related to the items covering care giving, and the second explains 17% of the variance related to self-satisfaction and satisfaction with the partner. High communality was found for factor 1 (0.36-0.71) and factor 2 (0.28-0.50). For factors 1 and 2, Cronbach's alpha was 0.96 and 0.92, and McDonalds' omega was 0.96 and 0.89, respectively. The reliability coefficient omega for the overall reliability of the questionnaire was 0.97.

CONCLUSION

The psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the MCSRS yielded two dimensions related to professional care giving and family. This version demonstrated good reliability and is thus a potential instrument to promote improvement of childbirth care in the country. Nonetheless, confirmation of the structural model of the tool should be sought.

Práticas sociais de medicalização & humanização no cuidado de mulheres na gestação

Resumo: O objetivo principal do trabalho é analisar como discursos de medicalização & humanização se (re)articulam na atenção primária em saúde e configuram o cuidado pré-natal de mulheres grávidas realizado por equipes de saúde da família. Trata-se de um estudo de caso do tipo único e integrado, com múltiplas unidades de análises e abordagem qualitativa. Foram realizados 17 grupos focais e ouvidos 47 trabalhadores (14 médicos, 19 enfermeiros e 14 cirurgiões-dentistas) que compunham 17 equipes de saúde da família em 16 municípios no Sul do Brasil. O material empírico foi analisado na perspectiva da análise do discurso foucaultiana. As equipes de saúde da família, praticantes da medicina generalista, relataram dificuldades para realizar o cuidado pré-natal das mulheres gestantes, evocando e fortalecendo o discurso da medicalização obstétrica que sua prática deveria enfraquecer. O discurso oficialmente adotado pela humanização, privilegiado no modelo generalista de atenção às mulheres gestantes, segue funcionando como discurso complementar ao da medicalização e da especialização, que prevalece nas práticas relatadas. A ênfase na atenção humanizada à mulher na gestação interfere nas fronteiras dos territórios profissionais e pressupõe renegociação de competências. Esforços de colaboração empreendidos entre as equipes de saúde da família e obstetras não apresentam muito sucesso.

Regional Gradients in Institutional Cesarean Delivery Rates: Evidence from Five Countries in Asia

BACKGROUND

Although the influence of the type of institutional setting on the risk of cesarean birth is well documented, less is known about the regional variations in institution-specific cesarean rates within countries. Our purpose was to examine regional variations in cesarean rates across public and private facilities in five Asian countries with a sizeable private sector: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines.

METHODS

Demographic Health Survey data and a hierarchical model were used to assess regional variations in the mode of delivery while controlling for a wide range of socioeconomic, demographic, and maternal risk factors.

RESULTS

The risk of cesarean birth was greater in a private facility than in a government hospital by 36-48 percent in India and Indonesia and by 130 percent in Bangladesh. Regional gradients in cesarean birth were found to be steeper for deliveries in private facilities than in government hospitals in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The residents of India's high-use states were 55 percent more likely to undergo a cesarean delivery in a government hospital and 83 percent more likely in a private facility than their counterparts in the medium-use states. Similarly, compared to the residents of the Philippines's medium-use provinces, giving birth in a government facility increased the likelihood of a cesarean delivery by 84 percent and by 173 percent in a private facility.

CONCLUSIONS

Large regional variations in cesarean rates suggest the need for more informed clinical decision making with respect to the selection of cases for cesarean delivery and the establishment of well-developed guidelines and standards at the provincial or state levels.

Determinants and materno-fetal outcomes related to cesarean section delivery in private and public hospitals in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

BACKGROUND

Despite the well-established morbidity, mortality, long-term effects, and unnecessary extra-cost burden associated with cesarean section delivery (CSD) worldwide, its rate has grown exponentially. This has become a great topical challenge for the international healthcare community and individual countries. Estimated at three times the acceptable rate as defined by the World Health Organization in 1985, the continued upward trend has been fuelled by higher income countries. Some low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have now taken the lead, and the factors contributing to this situation are poorly understood. The expansion of the private healthcare sector may be playing a significant role. Distinguishing between the public and private hospitals' role is critical in this investigation as it has not yet been approached. This review aims to systematically synthesize knowledge on the determinants of the CSD rate rise in private and public hospitals in LMICs and to investigate materno-fetal and materno-infant outcomes of CSD in perinatal period, between private and public hospitals.

METHODS/DESIGN

We will include studies published in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese since 2000, using any experimental design, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-RCTs, quasi-experimental, before and after studies, and interrupted time series. Outcomes of interest are the determinants of CSD and materno-fetal and materno-infant outcomes. We will only include studies carried out in private and public hospitals in LMICs. The literature searches will be conducted in the following databases: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane database, LILACS, and HINARI. We will also include unpublished studies in the gray literature (theses and technical reports). Using the two-person approach, two independent review authors will screen eligible articles, extract data, and assess risk of bias. Disagreements will be resolved through discussion with a third author. Results will be presented as structured summaries of the included studies. If possible, a meta-analysis will be conducted and, subsequently, an analysis for heterogeneity will be implemented.

DISCUSSION

The proposed systematic review of the CSD rate rise will provide up-to-date evidence in regard to differences in proportions, determinants, and materno-fetal and materno-infant outcomes in perinatal period, between private and public hospitals in LMICs. We believe that this knowledge synthesis will help to shed light on the evidence and support evidence-informed decision-making with a view to addressing the issue in LMICs.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42016036871.

Changes in caesarean section rates and milk feeding patterns of infants between 1986 and 2013 in the Dominican Republic

OBJECTIVE

The relationship between caesarean sections (C-sections) and infant feeding varies between different samples and indicators of feeding. The current study aimed to determine the relationship between C-sections and five indicators of infant milk feeding (breast-feeding within 1 h after delivery, at the time of the survey (current) and ever; milk-based prelacteal feeds; and current non-breast milk use) over time in a country with a rapidly rising C-section rate.

DESIGN

Secondary data analysis on cross-sectional data from Demographic and Health Surveys from six different time points between 1986 and 2013.

SETTING

Dominican Republic.

SUBJECTS

Infants under 6 months of age.

RESULTS

Over 90 % of infants were ever breast-fed in each survey sample. However, non-breast milk use has expanded over time with a concomitant drop in predominant breast-feeding. C-section prevalence has increased over time reaching 63 % of sampled infants in the most recent survey. C-sections remained significantly related to three infant feeding practices - the child not put to the breast within 1 h after delivery, milk-based prelacteal feeds and current non-breast milk use - in multivariate models that included sociodemographic control variables. However, current non-breast milk use was no longer related to C-sections when milk-based prelacteal feeds were factored into the model.

CONCLUSIONS

Reducing or avoiding milk-based prelacteal feeds, particularly among those having C-sections, may improve subsequent breast-feeding patterns. Simultaneously, efforts are needed to understand and help reduce the exceptionally high C-section rate in the Dominican Republic.

Hospital variation in cesarean delivery rates: contribution of individual and hospital factors in Florida

BACKGROUND

Primary cesarean deliveries are a major contributor to the large increase in cesarean delivery rates in the United States over the past 2 decades and are an essential focus for the reduction of related morbidity and costs. Studies have shown that primary cesarean delivery rates among low-risk women in the United States vary 3-fold across hospitals and are not explained by differences in patient case-mix. However, the extent to which maternal vs hospital characteristics contribute to this variation remains poorly understood because previous studies were limited in scope and did not assess the influence of factors such as maternal ethnicity subgroups or prepregnancy obesity.

OBJECTIVE

We assessed the contribution of individual- and hospital-level risk factors to the hospital variation in primary cesarean delivery rates among low-risk women in Florida.

STUDY DESIGN

Our population-based retrospective cohort study used Florida's linked birth certificate and hospital discharge records for the period of 2004-2011. The study population was comprised of 412,192 nulliparous, singleton, vertex, live births with labor at 37-40 weeks gestation in 122 nonmilitary delivery hospitals. Data were analyzed with logistic mixed-effects regression with cesarean delivery as the outcome. This approach provided adjusted risk estimates at an individual and hospital level and the estimated percent of hospital variation statewide that was explained by these factors.

RESULTS

The primary cesarean delivery rate in the study population was 23.9%, with hospital-specific estimates that ranged from 12.8-47.3%. Leading risk factors for cesarean delivery were maternal age ≥35 years (adjusted relative risk, 2.22), prepregnancy obesity (body mass index, ≥30 kg/m(2); adjusted relative risk, 1.73), medical risk conditions (adjusted relative risk, 1.72), labor induction (adjusted relative risk, 1.52), and delivery in hospitals located in Miami-Dade County (adjusted relative risk, 1.73). Hospital geographic location was a significant effect modifier for prepregnancy obesity, medical conditions, and labor induction (P < .05), with a tendency towards lower adjusted relative risks for these factors in Miami-Dade County relative to other Florida regions. Conversely, Miami-Dade County had an increased prevalence of higher-risk ethnic subgroups, such as Cuban or Puerto Rican mothers, and also substantially higher adjusted relative risks that were associated with practice-related factors, such as delivery during weekday hours. Whereas hospital geographic location contributed to 39.6% of the observed variation statewide, the estimated contribution of maternal ethnicity ranged from 1.6-15.7% among Florida regions.

CONCLUSIONS

Hospital geographic location contributes to hospital variation in primary cesarean delivery rates among low-risk women in Florida. In contrast to previous studies, our findings suggest that individual level risk factors such as maternal ethnicity also contribute to some of this variation, with differing extent by region. These individual factors likely interact with practice factors and add to the variation. This study was limited by not including maternal Bishop score before induction or obstetrics provider in the analysis. These were not available on the dataset but likely contribute to the variation. Our findings suggest potential issues to consider in quality improvement efforts, such as the need for future qualitative research that focuses on mothers in higher-risk ethnic subgroups and providers in high-rate hospitals, particularly those in Miami-Dade County. These studies may help to identify potential cultural differences in maternal beliefs and expectations for delivery and maternal reasons for differences in obstetrics practices.