Now Lecturer at Guy's Hospital Medical School, London SE1.
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The use of a birthroom: a randomized controlled trial comparing delivery with that in the labour ward
Article first published online: 23 AUG 2005
DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1986.tb07884.x
Issue
1471-0528/asset/cover.gif?v=1&s=b4e1d96c46e18c61210d584b63c13ee375cf562b "BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology")
BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Volume 93, Issue 2, pages 182–187, February 1986
Additional Information
How to Cite
CHAPMAN, M. G., JONES, M., SPRING, J. E., DE SWIET, M. and CHAMBERLAIN, G. V. P. (1986), The use of a birthroom: a randomized controlled trial comparing delivery with that in the labour ward. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 93: 182–187. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1986.tb07884.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 23 AUG 2005
- Article first published online: 23 AUG 2005
- Received 13 December1984, Accepted 8 May 1985
- Abstract
- References
- Cited By
Summary. A randomized controlled trial of two environments for delivery was conducted at Queen Charlotte's Maternity Hospital. A total of 253 parous women expecting to have a labour ward delivery were invited to participate in the trial but only 148 agreed. These women were randomly allocated to be delivered either with standard labour ward management (n= 72) or in the birthroom—a small bedroom decorated in a homely manner, without facilities for epidural analgesia or electronic fetal monitoring (n= 76). Eleven women in the birthroom group and 10 in the labour ward group withdrew from the trial before labour and four were transferred from the birthroom to the labour ward when in labour. A questionnaire sent in the postnatal period to the women who completed the trial was returned by 80%. In the birthroom group there was significantly (i) decreased admission-to-delivery interval (ii) less analgesia (iii) more freedom of movement (iv) less suturing (v) increased rooming-in. No difference was found in the assessment of difficulty of labour nor in the method of subsequent infant feeding.