Improving the quality and coverage of intrapartum care globally

reducing preventable morbidity and mortality among mothers and newborns. However, even where pregnant women are able to reach and utilise health facilities, there may be insufficient numbers of skilled birth personnel available, delays in the use of life-saving interventions or a lack of critical infrastructure, equipment, commodities or training – all of which restrict the capacity of health services to provide good-quality care to all women. Conversely, in many healthcare facilities the overuse of obstetric interventions (such as labour augmentation or caesarean section) or use of interventions that are not effective or harmful (such as routine episiotomy or continuous fetal monitoring) has become more commonplace. In addition, many women have described experiencing mistreatment while giving birth in health facilities, which can negatively affect maternal and newborn health outcomes and further discourage women from attending facilities in the future. There is thus a growing emphasis on the importance of ensuring good-quality, respectful care is available to all women during labour and childbirth. Projects are available for postgraduate research students to work with the Global Women’s and Newborn’s Health Group on this topic at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne. Available projects include: - Reviews of trials of non-pharmacological pain management in labour and childbirth - Development of a core outcome set for pain management in labour and childbirth - Systematic review of Indicators and measures for intrapartum care quality in global settings - Evaluation of usability of the new WHO Labour Care Guide (appropriate for someone with a maternity healthcare background, eg: midwifery or obstetrics)