An approach to measuring quality of midwifery care.

In perinatology "Outcome" is almost always defined in terms of mortality or serious morbidity. Evaluation of care for normal pregnancy and midwifery care in particular cannot rely only on outcome measures per se, but must also take the means and interventions by which these are achieved into account. Perinatal Background and Perinatal Outcome Indexes were developed for the assessment of midwifery care in women with low-risk pregnancies.