New Approach to Safe Deliveries: Enhancing Care for Low-Risk Childbirths Through Collaboration, study suggests

- -Quality Indicators (QIs) Development-: 35 potential quality indicators were developed using a modified Delphi method, focusing on clinical practice guidelines specific to low-risk childbirth. After rigorous applicability assessments, 12 QIs were selected, emphasizing various aspects of care such as rates of spontaneous vaginal births, perineal lacerations, and breastfeeding initiation rates.

- -Study Population and Data Collection-: The study analyzed data from 455 eligible women who were in their late pregnancy stages and had a diagnosis of low-risk pregnancy. Data was collected using a robust system to ensure quality, and involved tracking various childbirth-related outcomes during delivery, at postpartum discharge, and at a 1-month follow-up.

- -Outcome Analysis-: Results showed a significant increase in the rate of spontaneous vaginal deliveries (risk ratio of 1.08 per month post-intervention, although the immediate level change was not statistically significant). No significant improvements were documented for the majority of other QIs, reflecting a limited impact of the intervention overall.

- -Contextual Influences-: The study highlighted the substantial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have affected the quality of care and the implementation of the intervention. Operational pressures introduced by evolving healthcare policies and staffing challenges during the pandemic could have influenced both the delivery methods and the measured outcomes.

- -Implications and Limitations-: While the intervention resulted in some positive outcomes, the lack of significant improvements across most indicators suggests they were already at high standards of quality prior to the study. Limitations included potential bias due to the COVID-19 pandemic, variations in staff experience, and inadequate data on contextual factors. The findings underscore the need for ongoing quality improvement initiatives in low-risk childbirth care, especially in challenging healthcare environments.

Reference –

K. Ueda et al. (2025). Effect Of A Multifaceted Intervention With Audit And Feedback On Low-Risk Childbirth Practice: A Multicentre Prospective Study. *BMC Pregnancy And Childbirth*, 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-07681-2.