Promoting evidence-based practice in maternity care through use of a checklist

Two major challenges in maternal and child health are the increases in preterm birth and cesarean birth. Both outcomes are correlated with overuse of obstetric interventions and could be improved by allowing women to use their innate capacity to give birth normally. Despite the plethora of information on evidence-based maternity care practices, beneficial interventions that promote normal physiologic birth are underused. In fact, childbirth without medical intervention is often seen as a compromise in safety for mother and infant. Making decisions based on the best evidence is a goal of all providers, yet the culture in the hospital can be difficult to change. To help address this important issue, the American College of Nurse-Midwives has developed a one-of-a-kind PowerPoint presentation for use by clinicians and hospital administrators. This innovative teaching tool demonstrates the benefits of midwifery practices that support physiologic birth. The presentation consists of 104 fully-referenced slides and a printable checklist which can be copied and shared in the clinical setting. Like other hospital safety checklists, this tool can be used to remind health care providers in labor and delivery settings of the practices to implement and those to avoid in order to facilitate normal birth. This APHA presentation will provide overviews of the evidence regarding the increases in preterm birth and cesarean birth and the importance of practices which promote physiologic birth, as well as a description of how the use of checklists can both improve hospital safety and change the culture of hospital birth practices.