Midwifery
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
A comparison of partnership caseload midwifery care with conventional team midwifery care: labour and birth outcomes.
to compare the effects of partnership caseload midwifery care, with conventional team midwifery care. Comparisons of labour interventions and birth outcomes were made between the two models of care. ⋯ partnership caseload midwifery care resulted in less interventionist labour and more normal birth than conventional team midwifery care. Women in the experimental group had more home births, birth in a midwife-led suite and opted for early discharge home postnatally more often than the controls. They also experienced much higher levels of continuity, particularly of a known midwife during labour and birth. The study findings should encourage other maternity units in the UK to pilot and evaluate the model to see if these benefits are transferable.