Existing research appraisal tools do not always capture important elements of study design that are critical when comparing outcomes
by planned place of birth.
A Birth Place Research Quality Index (ResQu Index) was developed comprising 27 scored items that are summed to generate a weighted composite score out of 100 for studies
comparing planned place of birth.
The strengths of this research article is that both home and hospital births were attended by the same cohort of midwives, offering a true comparison of
planned place of birth uncompounded by type of caregiver.
In recent well - designed studies that
captured planned place of birth andused better sources of data, there were no differences in 5 - minute Apgar scores between home and hospital settings (Hutton et al, 2009; Janssen et al, 2009; van der Kooy et al, 2011).
In a previous study where we explored women's preferences for aspects of intrapartum care
regarding planned place of birth we reported that women with a preference for a hospital birth — both midwife - led and obstetrician - led — found the possibility of pain relief treatment much more important compared to women with a preference for a home birth [18].
The most recent U.K. data for
planned place of birth shows no significant differences in negative outcomes between births at home, at birth centers, and obstetric units for mothers who have already had children.
The authors brazenly assert that no differences for
planned place of birth were noted.
From the title,
Planned Place of Birth in New Zealand: Does it Affect Mode of Birth and Intervention Rates Among Low - Risk Women?
'' Normal births» * for healthy women with low risk pregnancies by
their planned place of birth at start of care in labour.