Effectiveness of certified nurse-midwives

The National Birth Center Study *1Part I—Methodology and prenatal care and referrals

“…In addition, it is also possible that the prenatal care practices of various kinds of providers vary in ways that contribute to these findings. For instance, one randomized prospective study that compared care provided to low‐risk women by nurse‐midwives with care provided by physicians in an obstetrics and gynecology residency training program found that the CNMs conducted tests for urinary tract infections on a larger percentage of their patients (21). Under these circumstances, one might expect to find a higher incidence of complications among the women who were screened more thoroughly.…”

Prevention of infant mortality An agenda for nurse-midwifery

“…Table 2 summarizes the reports of studies addressing nurse‐midwifery services that have appeared in the literature over the previous 20 years (88–117). Some of these reports demonstrate the effort to evaluate the process and/or outcome of care offered to the broad demographic variety of patients served, within the several settings in which care is delivered.…”

Health Care in Rural America

“…Studies have shown that CNMs can manage normal pregnancies at least as well as physicians (169,359,502,504,565). Numerous factors, including lack of physician acceptance, liability coverage costs and availability, and reimbursement coverage, have influenced the characteristics and location of CNM practice.…”