Via MidwifeInfo, a systematic review spanning 18 years and encompassing 21 studies has found that midwives provide comparable or better care to women than care managed exclusively by physicians. This finding was part of a larger review focusing on advanced practice nurses (nurse-midwives, nurse-anesthetists, nurse-practitioners etc.), and will be published in the upcoming September/ October 2011 issue of Nursing Economic$.
- Through a comprehensive evaluation of the evidence from 21 studies of CNM care, the review concludes that there is high quality evidence that women cared for by CNMs are less likely to experience a cesarean delivery, episiotomy, or severe perineal trauma. Women cared for by CNMs are also more likely to choose non-pharmacologic approaches to manage pain, and they have higher breastfeeding rates.
Are you surprised? I’m not surprised! I feel like this just confirms what we already knew: midwives establish better relationships, answer more questions, are more sensitive, check all the boxes on the customer satisfactions card…but more than that, they actually deliver better outcomes—fewer cesareans, fewer lacerations, increased rates of breasfeeding and natural delivery. Of course! It’s just very affirming to see it in writing.
To read the full review as a pdf file, follow this LINK!
