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Caregivers in the same or widely different
communities disagree about what is important and how best
to care for their patients. Decisions are sometimes made based
on differences of opinion, values, cultural bias, or long-standing
medical traditions.
The concept of evidence-based practice for
pregnancy and childbirth is based on a simple premise. Does
this work? Is it effective? Are tests, procedures, technologies,
protocols, practices, making a difference in improving the
health of mothers and their infants? Should they continue
to be used? Are they promising? Should they be eliminated?
Routine practices such as restricting a
woman's movement in labor, not allowing her to eat or drink,
use of episiotomies, routine use of electronic fetal monitoring,
separating the mother and newborn immediately after birth,
etc. deeply affect a woman's experience of labor and
birth without necessarily improving her well-being or that
of her infant.
A large body of world wide scientific evidence
now exists that clearly shows which practices are evidence-based.
Childbearing women and maternity care professionals are encouraged
to find out more about effective forms of care by consulting
the following:
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