Perineal trauma during vaginal birth in Slovenia

Introduction: The aim of this retrospective study was to examine the rates of perineal tears during childbirth in Slovenian  maternity hospitals in the period from 2013 to 2015.Methods: A causal non-experimental method of quantitative empirical approach was conducted. Data were pooled from the Slovenian National Perinatal Information System and analysed for the period of 2013 to 2015. Data analysis was performed with the use of frequency distribution of attributive variables and the basic descriptive statistics of numerical variables.Results: The incidence of perineal trauma during childbirth in all the 14 maternity hospitals varies from the "perineum without injury" to the "fourth degree perineal tear". Overall, 26.1 % of women sustained a first degree perineal tear, whereas 4.8 % of women had a second degree perineal tear. Severe perineal trauma included 0.8 % of third degree tears and 0.1 % of fourth degree tears.Discussion and conclusion: Perineal trauma varies between Slovenian maternity hospitals. Women who have sustained tears that cut into their bowels may face serious health problems and should be given relevant advice regarding the state of their pelvic floor after childbirth. It is of great importance to appropriately recognise the severity of the perineal trauma. Moreover, health professionals should be familiar with the perineal trauma classification and the factors that may cause the perineum to tear during childbirth.

Freedom of conscience in Europe? An analysis of three cases of midwives with conscientious objection to abortion

While abortion has been legal in most developed countries for many years, the topic remains controversial. A major area of controversy concerns women's rights vis-a-vis the rights of health professionals to opt out of providing the service on conscience grounds. Although scholars from various disciplines have addressed this issue in the literature, there is a lack of empirical research on the topic. This paper provides a documentary analysis of three examples of conscientious objection on religious grounds to performing abortion-related care by midwives in different Member States of the European Union, two of which have resulted in legal action. These examples show that as well as the laws of the respective countries and the European Union, professional and church law each played a part in the decisions made. However, support from both professional and religious sources was inconsistent both within and between the examples. The authors conclude that there is a need for clear guidelines at both local and pan-European level for health professionals and recommend a European-wide forum to develop and test them.

Umbilical Cord Management and Stump Care in Normal Childbirth in Slovenian and Croatian Maternity Hospitals

The aim was to investigate first-care procedures for the newborn's umbilical cord at maternity hospitals in Slovenia and Croatia. The study was based on an empirical survey research approach and quantitative research paradigms and included all Slovenian (n=14) and all Croatian (n=35) maternity hospitals. Leaders of midwifery team of 14 Slovenian and 35 Croatian labor wards were invited to participate. The study was conducted in 2013, with 67% of Slovenian and 66% of Croatian maternity hospitals having responded. A causal and non-experimental method of empirical research was used. The research instrument was a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics was used on data analysis. The independence hypothesis was tested with the χ2-test or Kullback 2Î-test. A vast ma-jority of study wards employed delayed umbilical cord clamping, i.e. clamping the cord after pulsa-tion had ceased. Only 10% of Slovenian in comparison with 36.4% of Croatian maternity hospitals practiced dry cord care. Others applied disinfectant on the cord, in Slovenia most frequently 6% po-tassium permanganate, and in Croatia a combination of octenidine and phenoxyethanol. Most Croa-tian -maternity wards (95.7%) still covered the stump, while it was not regular practice in Slovenia. The authors estimate that the prevailing Slovenian and Croatian practices in regard to cord clamping are in accordance with the evidence, while improvements could be made regarding stump care, since dry cord care is the recommended method.

Incidence of episiotomy in Slovenia: The story behind the numbers

Episiotomy is a surgical cut of the perineum performed in the second stage of labor in order to widen the vaginal opening and thus facilitate the birth of an infant. Despite current recommendations against the routine use of episiotomy, it is one of the most commonly performed surgical interventions during childbirth. This retrospective study explores the number of episiotomies performed in Slovenian maternity hospitals and the differences in episiotomy rates in relation to parity. Data were obtained from the Slovenian National Perinatal Information System and pooled for 2013. A causal and non-experimental method of empirical research was used. The results of the study show that episiotomy rates vary widely across Slovenian maternity hospitals, ranging from 2.5% to 51.7%. Moreover, the majority of Slovenian maternity hospitals exceed the recommended rate, with an overall incidence of episiotomy as high as 31.3%. Further research is recommended to obtain relevant information from women as well as from midwives and to draw new, evidence-based conclusions related to the maternal benefits and adverse effects of episiotomy.