Practice variation in induction of labor: A critical document analysis on the contribution of regional protocols.

Rationale: Despite national guidelines with recommendations on induction of labor (IOL), large variation in the use of this intervention exists between regions in the Netherlands. Guidelines are translated into protocols, which give a contextual description of medical practice provided in a given region. Possibly, protocols developed by regional multidisciplinary maternity care networks (MCNs) contribute to the regional variation in IOL.

Validation of the Birth Beliefs Scale for maternity care professionals in The Netherlands.

Objectives: To validate the Birth Beliefs Scale (BBS) for maternity care professionals by testing: (1) content validity; (2) internal reliability; (3) known-group discriminant validity; and examine potential relationships between regions and birth beliefs.

Methods: First, content validity was tested. Before distribution of the questionnaire among maternity care professionals of six maternity care networks (MCNs), adjustments in the statements were made whenever content validity was too low.

Regional practice variation in induction of labor in the Netherlands: Does it matter? A multilevel analysis of the association between induction rates and perinatal and maternal outcomes.

Background: Practice variation in healthcare is a complex issue. We focused on practice variation in induction of labor between maternity care networks in the Netherlands. These collaborations of hospitals and midwifery practices are jointly responsible for providing high-quality maternity care.

Knowledge and skills used for clinical decision-making on childbirth interventions: A qualitative study among midwives in the Netherlands.

Introduction: Appropriate use of interventions in maternity care is a worldwide issue. Midwifery-led models of care are associated with more efficient use of resources, fewer medical interventions, and improved outcomes. However, the use of interventions varies considerably between midwives.

Birth place preferences and women's expectations and experiences regarding duration and pain of labor.

Introduction: We know a great deal about how childbirth is affected by setting; we know less about how the experience of birth is shaped by the attitudes women bring with them to the birthing room. In order to better understand how women frame childbirth, we examined the relationship between birth place preference and expectations and experiences regarding duration of labor and labor pain in healthy nulliparous women.

Methods: A prospective cohort study (2007-2011) of 454 women who preferred a home birth (n = 179), a midwife-led hospital birth (n = 133) or an obstetrician-led hospital birth (n = 142) in the Netherlands.

The influence of preferred place of birth on the course of pregnancy and labor among healthy nulliparous women: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Most studies on birth settings investigate the association between planned place of birth at the start of labor and birth outcomes and intervention rates. To optimize maternity care it also is important to pay attention to the entire process of pregnancy and childbirth. This study explores the association between the initial preferred place of birth and model of care, and the course of pregnancy and labor in low-risk nulliparous women in the Netherlands.