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- Ayres-de-Campos, Diogo, et al.
(author)
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European Association of Perinatal Medicine (EAPM), European Board and College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (EBCOG), European Midwives Association (EMA). Joint position statement : Substandard and disrespectful care in labour - because words matter
- 2024
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In: European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology. - : Elsevier. - 0301-2115 .- 1872-7654 .- 2590-1613. ; 296, s. 205-207
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Substandard or disrespectful care during labour should be of serious concern for healthcare professionals, as it can affect one of the most important events in a woman's life. Substandard care refers to the use of interventions that are not considered best -practice, to the inadequate execution of interventions, to situations where bestpractice interventions are withheld from patients, or there is lack of adequate informed consent. Disrespectful care refers to forms of verbal and non-verbal communication that affect patients' dignity, individuality, privacy, intimacy, or personal beliefs. There are many possible underlying causes for substandard and disrespectful care in labour, including difficulties in modifying behaviours, judgmental or paternalistic attitudes, personal interests and individualism, and a human tendency to make less arduous, less difficult, or less stressful clinical decisions. The term "obstetric violence" is used in some parts of the world to describe various forms of substandard and disrespectful care in labour, but suggests that it is mainly carried out by obstetricians and is a serious form of aggression, carried out with the intent to cause harm. We believe that this term should not be used, as it does not help to identify the underlying problem, its causes, or its correction. In addition, it is generally seen by obstetricians and other healthcare professionals as an unjust and offensive term, generating a defensive and less collaborative mindset. We reach out to all individuals and institutions sharing the common goal of improving women's experience during labour, to work together to address the underlying causes of substandard and disrespectful care, and to develop common strategies to deal with this problem, based on mutual comprehension, trust and respect
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- Ayres-de-Campos, Diogo, et al.
(author)
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EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF PERINATAL MEDICINE (EAPM) EUROPEAN MIDWIVES ASSOCIATION (EMA) Joint position statement: Caesarean delivery rates at a country level should be in the 15-20 % range
- 2024
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In: European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology: X. - 2590-1613. ; 294, s. 76-78
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- While cesarean deliveries performed for health indications can save lives, unnecessary cesareans cause unjustifiable health risks for the mother, newborn, and for future pregnancies. Previous recommendations for cesarean delivery rates at a country level in the 10-15% range are currently unrealistic, and the proposed concept that striving to achieve specific rates is not important has resulted in a confusing message reaching healthcare professionals and the public. It is important to have a clear understanding of when cesarean delivery rates are deviating from internationally acceptable ranges, to trigger the implementation of healthcare policies needed to correct this problem. Based on currently existing scientific evidence, we recommend that cesarean delivery rates at a country level should be in the 15-20% range. This advice is based on the demonstration of decreased maternal and neonatal mortalities when national cesarean delivery rates rise to circa 15%, but values exceeding 20% are not associated with further benefits. It is also based on real-world experiences from northern European countries, where cesarean delivery rates in the 15-20% range are associated with some of the best maternal and perinatal quality indicators in the world. With the increase in cesarean delivery rates projected for the coming years, experience in provision of intrapartum care may come under threat in many hospitals, and recovering from this situation is likely to be a major challenge. Professional and scientific societies, together with healthcare authorities and governments need to prioritize actions to reverse the upward trend in cesarean delivery rates observed in many countries, and to strive to achieve values as close as possible to the recommended range.
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- Daskalakis, George, et al.
(author)
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European guidelines on perinatal care: corticosteroids for women at risk of preterm birth.
- 2023
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In: The journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine : the official journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1476-4954 .- 1476-7058. ; 36:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- of recommendationsCorticosteroids should be administered to women at a gestational age between 24+0 and 33+6weeks, when preterm birth is anticipated in the next seven days, as these have been consistently shown to reduce neonatal mortality and morbidity. (Strong-quality evidence; strong recommendation). In selected cases, extension of this period up to 34+6weeks may be considered (Expert opinion). Optimal benefits are found in infants delivered within 7days of corticosteroid administration. Even a single-dose administration should be given to women with imminent preterm birth, as this is likely to improve neurodevelopmental outcome (Moderate-quality evidence; conditional recommendation).Either betamethasone (12mg administered intramuscularly twice, 24-hours apart) or dexamethasone (6mg administered intramuscularly in four doses, 12-hours apart, or 12mg administered intramuscularly twice, 24-hours apart), may be used (Moderate-quality evidence; Strong recommendation). Administration of two "all" doses is named a "course of corticosteroids".Administration between 22+0 and 23+6weeks should be considered when preterm birth is anticipated in the next seven days and active newborn life-support is indicated, taking into account parental wishes. Clear survival benefit has been observed in these cases, but the impact on short-term neurological and respiratory function, as well as long-term neurodevelopmental outcome is still unclear (Low/moderate-quality evidence; Weak recommendation).Administration between 34+0 and 34+6weeks should only be offered to a few selected cases (Expert opinion). Administration between 35+0 and 36+6weeks should be restricted to prospective randomized trials. Current evidence suggests that although corticosteroids reduce the incidence of transient tachypnea of the newborn, they do not affect the incidence of respiratory distress syndrome, and they increase neonatal hypoglycemia. Long-term safety data are lacking (Moderate quality evidence; Conditional recommendation).Administration in pregnancies beyond 37+0weeks is not indicated, even for scheduled cesarean delivery, as current evidence does not suggest benefit and the long-term effects remain unknown (Low-quality evidence; Conditional recommendation).Administration should be given in twin pregnancies, with the same indication and doses as for singletons. However, existing evidence suggests that it should be reserved for pregnancies at high-risk of delivering within a 7-day interval (Low-quality evidence; Conditional recommendation). Maternal diabetes mellitus is not a contraindication to the use of antenatal corticosteroids (Moderate quality evidence; Strong recommendation).A single repeat course of corticosteroids can be considered in pregnancies at less than 34+0weeks gestation, if the previous course was completed more than seven days earlier, and there is a renewed risk of imminent delivery (Low-quality evidence; Conditional recommendation).
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- Olofsson, Per, et al.
(author)
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A critical appraisal of the evidence for using cardiotocography plus ECG ST interval analysis for fetal surveillance in labor. Part I: the randomized controlled trials.
- 2014
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In: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 1600-0412 .- 0001-6349. ; 93:6, s. 556-568
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We reappraised the five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared CTG+ST vs. CTG. The numbers enrolled ranged from 5681 (Dutch RCT) to 799 (French RCT). The Swedish RCT (N=5049) was the only trial adequately powered to show a difference in metabolic acidosis, and the Plymouth RCT (N=2434) was only powered to show a difference in operative delivery for fetal distress. There were considerable differences in study design: the French RCT used different inclusion criteria, and the Finnish RCT (N=1483) used a different metabolic acidosis definition. In the CTG+ST study arms, the larger Plymouth, Swedish and Dutch trials showed lower operative delivery and metabolic acidosis rates, while the smaller Finnish and French trials showed minor differences in operative delivery and higher metabolic acidosis rates. We conclude that the differences in outcomes are likely due to considerable differences in study design and size. This will enhance heterogeneity effects in any subsequent meta-analysis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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7. |
- Olofsson, Per, et al.
(author)
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A critical appraisal of the evidence for using cardiotocography plus ECG ST interval analysis for fetal surveillance in labor. Part II: the meta-analyses.
- 2014
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In: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 1600-0412 .- 0001-6349. ; 93:6, s. 571-586
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We appraised the methodology, execution and quality of the five published meta-analyses that are based on the five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which compared cardiotocography (CTG) +ST analysis to CTG. The meta-analyses contained errors, either created de novo in handling of original data, or from a failure to recognize essential differences among the RCTs, particularly in their inclusion criteria and outcome parameters. No meta-analysis contained complete and relevant data from all five RCTs. We believe that one RCT excluded in two of the meta-analyses should have been included, while one RCT that was included in all meta-analyses, should have been excluded. After correction of the uncovered errors and exclusion of the RCT that we deemed inappropriate, our new meta-analysis showed that CTG+ST monitoring significantly reduces the fetal scalp blood sampling usage (risk ratio 0.64; 95% confidence interval 0.47-0.88), total operative delivery rate (0.93; 0.88-0.99), and metabolic acidosis rate (0.61; 0.41-0.91). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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- Vayssiere, Christophe, et al.
(author)
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EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF PERINATAL MEDICINE (EAPM) Position statement : Use of appropriate terminology for situations related to inadequate fetal oxygenation in labor
- 2024
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In: European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology. - : Elsevier. - 0301-2115 .- 1872-7654. ; 294, s. 55-57
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In high-resource countries, adverse perinatal outcomes are currently rare in term, non-malformed fetuses, undergoing labor, but they remain a leading cause of medico-legal dispute. Precise terminology is important to describe situations related to inadequate fetal oxygenation in labor, to ensure appropriate communication between healthcare professionals and adequate transmission of information to parents. This position statement provides consensus definitions from European perinatologists and midwives regarding the most appropriate terminology to describe situations related to inadequate fetal oxygenation in labor: suspected fetal hypoxia, severe newborn acidemia, newborn metabolic acidosis, and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. It also identifies terms that are imprecise or nonspecific to this situation, and should therefore be avoided by healthcare professionals: fetal well-being, fetal stress, fetal distress, non-reassuring fetal state, and birth asphyxia.
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