Can we improve women's experience of operative vaginal birth?

Objective: It is well understood that advanced skills are required for operative vaginal delivery to ensure a woman's birth experience is safe, positive and to prevent adverse long term harm. We sought to identify non-technical skills determined by women to enhance experience of operative vaginal delivery by qualitative analysis of interviews conducted during the postpartum period.

Design: A qualitative study using semi structured interviews took place at a University teaching hospital.

Morbidity experienced by women before and after operative vaginal delivery: prospective cohort study nested within a two-centre randomised controlled trial of restrictive versus routine use of episiotomy.

Objective: To explore: (1) the antenatal and postnatal morbidity experienced by women in relation to operative vaginal delivery (OVD); and (2) the impact of restrictive versus routine use of episiotomy.

Design: Longitudinal prospective cohort study embedded within a two-centre randomised controlled trial (RCT).

Setting: Two UK tertiary-level maternity units.

A randomised controlled trial of routine versus restrictive use of episiotomy at operative vaginal delivery: a multicentre pilot study.

Objective: To compare the maternal and neonatal outcomes of operative vaginal delivery in relation to the use of episiotomy.

Design: Pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT).

Setting: Two urban maternity units in Scotland and England.

A prospective cohort study of maternal and neonatal morbidity in relation to use of episiotomy at operative vaginal delivery.

Objective: To evaluate the maternal and neonatal morbidity of operative vaginal delivery in relation to the use of episiotomy.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Two urban maternity units in Scotland and England.