A Retrospective Evaluation of a Model of Midwifery Care
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abstract
We conducted a retrospective evaluation of intrapartum outcomes of 452 women who had no medical or obstetric complications. Seventy‐nine women were cared for in a midwifery service and the remainder were under a physician's care. Most women were white, married, and middle‐class. All deliveries occurred in a tertiary referral center in Ontario, Canada. The midwifery group had statistically significant reductions in the frequency of amniotomy, epidural block, and episiotomy, and significant increases in the use of transcutaneous nerve stimulation and the occurrence of lacerations. The observed differences in intrapartum outcomes are of interest because of the unique circumstances of this service in a country where midwifery is an unfamiliar and unregulated profession.
