Outcomes of low-risk birth care during the Covid-19 pandemic: A cohort study from a tertiary care center in Lithuania

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization, midwife-led care is the most appropriate and cost-effective type of perinatal care. As the Covid-19 pandemic with its drastic changes and challenges for the health systems and the medical staff made large adjustments to the healthcare delivery system, midwife-led care became an even more important supportive tool in maintaining unnecessary interventions. This retrospective cohort study aims to compare the outcomes of midwife-led care and team-led care in low-risk births between the Covid-19 pandemic and non-Covid-19 pandemic period. The total studied population was 1,185 singleton births and consisted of 727 births during the non-Covid-19 period and 458 births from the Covid-19 period. The study revealed the safety of low-risk birth care during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in both groups. The maternal and perinatal outcomes remained stable without an increased rate of unsuccessful vaginal births and newborn asphyxia; moreover, birth care of low-risk women provided by midwives preserved autonomy, integrity, and resistance to responding to a disaster. The aforementioned results exhibit that high-quality, safe supervision by midwives in low-risk births can be provided even in high-stress circumstances.

Woman-Centered Care: Standardized Outcomes Measure

“…Woman-centered care, which emphasizes the unique individual needs, expectations, and aspirations of women, is often associated with midwife-led care [ 15 ]. However, while studies in Lithuania have investigated the effects of midwife-led care and obstetrician-led care on maternal and neonatal outcomes in low-risk deliveries [ 16 , 17 , 18 ], there remains a research gap regarding the holistic evaluation of physical and emotional patient-reported outcomes experienced by women during low-risk pregnancies, from their own perspectives.…”