Authors' recommendations: Around 3% of births in Scotland are in free standing midwifery units. For women at low risk of birth complications, the incidence of serious perinatal adverse events for the infant is low in all settings of maternity care. This means that very large studies are required to make comparisons of safety in different settings. A large prospective cohort study of women with low-risk pregnancies in England found no significant difference in the rate of a composite outcome of serious adverse events for the baby (including stillbirth, early neonatal death and neonatal encephalopathy) between births planned in free standing midwifery units and births planned in obstetric units. The proportion of normal births (without induction, epidural or spinal analgesia, general anaesthesia, forceps or ventouse delivery, caesarean section or episiotomy) among lowrisk women in England was significantly higher for births planned in free standing midwifery units compared with births planned in obstetric units.

Project Status: Completed

Year Published: 2012

URL for published report: http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/our_work/technologies_and_medicines/shtg_-_evidence_notes/evidence_note_47.aspx

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: Scotland, United Kingdom

Organisation Name: Scottish Health Technologies Group

Contact Address: Scottish Health Technologies Group, Delta House, 50 West Nile Street, Glasgow, G1 2NP Tel: 0141 225 6998

Contact Name: his.shtg@nhs.scot

Contact Email: his.shtg@nhs.scot

Copyright: Healthcare Improvement Scotland