Midwifery linked to better birth outcomes in state-by-state “report card” Midwife-f

Midwifery linked to better birth outcomes in state-by-state “report card” Midwife-friendly laws and regulations tend to coincide with lower rates of premature births, cesarean deliveries and newborn deaths, according to a U.S.-wide “report card” that ranks each of the 50 states on the quality of their maternity care.The first-of-its-kind study found a strong connection between the role of midwives in the health care system – what the researchers call “midwifery integration” – and birth outcomes. States with high midwifery integration, like Washington and Oregon, generally had better results, while states with the least integration, primarily in the Midwest and South, tended to do worse.As with most population health studies, the statistical association between the role of midwives and birth outcomes doesn’t prove a cause-and-effect relationship. Other factors, especially race, loom larger, with African-Americans experiencing a disproportionate share of negative outcomes. However, almost 12 percent of the variation in neonatal death across the U.S. is attributable solely to how much of a part midwives play in each state’s health care system.“Our results show that families experience better outcomes when midwives can practice to their full capacity and are part of the system,” said Saraswathi Vedam, an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia, who led the team of U.S. epidemiology and health policy researchers responsible for the study, published Feb. 21 in PLOS ONE. “In marginalized communities in the U.S., where the health system is often stretched thin, expanding access to midwives and increasing their responsibilities could be a feasible strategy for improving maternity care.” -- source link

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