How does the use of continuous electronic fetal monitoring influence women's experiences of labour? A systematic integrative review of the literature from high income countries.

Background: A variety of technologies are used to monitor fetal wellbeing in labour. Different types of fetal monitoring devices impact women's experiences of labour and birth.

Aim: This review aims to understand how continuous electronic fetal monitoring (CEFM) influences women's experiences, with a focus on sense of control, active decision-making and mobility.

Modelling the cost of place of birth: a pathway analysis.

Background: In New South Wales (NSW), Australia there are three settings available for women at low risk of complications to give birth: home, birth centre and hospital. Between 2000 and 2012, 93.6% of babies were planned to be born in hospital, 6.

The impact of planning for COVID-19 on private practising midwives in Australia.

Problem: The COVID-19 pandemic response has required planning for the safe provision of care. In Australia, privately practising midwives are an important group to consider as they often struggle for acceptance by the health system.

Background: There are around 200 Endorsed Midwives eligible to practice privately in Australia (privately practising midwives) who provide provide the full continuum of midwifery care.

Mapping the trajectories for women and their babies from births planned at home, in a birth centre or in a hospital in New South Wales, Australia, between 2000 and 2012.

Background: In New South Wales (NSW) Australia, women at low risk of complications can choose from three birth settings: home, birth centre and hospital. Between 2000 and 2012, around 6.4% of pregnant women planned to give birth in a birth centre (6%) or at home (0.

Maternal and perinatal outcomes by planned place of birth in Australia 2000 - 2012: a linked population data study.

Objective: To compare perinatal and maternal outcomes for Australian women with uncomplicated pregnancies according to planned place of birth, that is, in hospital labour wards, birth centres or at home.

Design: A population-based retrospective design, linking and analysing routinely collected electronic data. Analysis comprised χ tests and binary logistic regression for categorical data, yielding adjusted ORs.

The cost of vaginal birth at home, in a birth centre or in a hospital setting in New South Wales: A micro-costing study.

Background: Women want greater choice of place of birth in New South Wales, Australia. It is perceived to be more costly to health services for women with a healthy pregnancy to give birth at home or in a birth centre. It is not known how much it costs the health service to provide care for women planning to give birth in these settings.

Creating the first national linked dataset on perinatal and maternal outcomes in Australia: Methods and challenges.

Background: Data linkage offers a powerful mechanism for examining healthcare outcomes across populations and can generate substantial robust datasets using routinely collected electronic data. However, it presents methodological challenges, especially in Australia where eight separate states and territories maintain health datasets. This study used linked data to investigate perinatal and maternal outcomes in relation to place of birth.

Maternal and perinatal outcomes by planned place of birth among women with low-risk pregnancies in high-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The comparative safety of different birth settings is widely debated. Comparing research across high-income countries is complex, given differences in maternity service provision, data discrepancies, and varying research techniques and quality. Studies of births planned at home or in birth centres have reported both better and poorer outcomes than planned hospital births.

The ResQu Index: A new instrument to appraise the quality of research on birth place.

Objective: Place of birth is a known determinant of health care outcomes, interventions and costs. Many studies have examined the maternal and perinatal outcomes when women plan to give birth in hospitals compared with births in birth centres or at home. However, these studies vary substantially in rigour; assessing their quality is challenging.

Birthplace in New South Wales, Australia: an analysis of perinatal outcomes using routinely collected data.

Background: The outcomes for women who give birth in hospital compared with at home are the subject of ongoing debate. We aimed to determine whether a retrospective linked data study using routinely collected data was a viable means to compare perinatal and maternal outcomes and interventions in labour by planned place of birth at the onset of labour in one Australian state.

Methods: A population-based cohort study was undertaken using routinely collected linked data from the New South Wales Perinatal Data Collection, Admitted Patient Data Collection, Register of Congenital Conditions, Registry of Birth Deaths and Marriages and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The profile of women who consult midwives in Australia.

Background: There is no Australian data on the characteristics of women who consult with midwives.

Aim: To determine the profile of women who consult midwives in Australia.

Methods: This cross-sectional research was conducted as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH).