Evaluating the effects of maternal positions in childbirth: An overview of Cochrane Systematic Reviews

Journal article

The aim of this project was to assess whether supplemental education on labor positioning for Labor and Delivery nurses would increase the nurses’ confidence in utilizing patient positioning to promote fetal descent and progress labor. Previous research suggests that upright, mobile positions during the first stage of labor have various benefits, including reduced cesarean rates, shorter lengths of labor, and less epidural usage. However, a major barrier to maximizing these benefits is a gap in knowledge among Labor and Delivery nurses, resulting in inconsistent use of various positions. This improvement project addresses this problem at a large community hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area by implementing staff education on nine selected positions to increase staff confidence and standardization of labor positioning on the Labor and Delivery unit. Participants completed pre- and post-education surveys to gauge the success of this project. Survey results showed an increase in staff confidence utilizing all nine positions included in the education. While this project has several limitations, including sample size and access to the unit, the findings suggest that additional staff education on labor positioning can increase confidence and preparedness to use these positions to encourage fetal descent and ultimately progress labor with laboring patients

Authors: Kibuka, M; Price, A; Onakpoya, I; Tierney, S; Clarke, M

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: European Publishing
• Journal: European Journal of Midwifery
• Volume: 5
• Issue: December
• Pages: 1-14
• Publication date: 2021-12-20
• DOI: 10.18332/ejm/142781
• EISSN: 2585-2906
• ISSN: 2585-2906
• Language: English
• Keywords: Obstetrics; Pregnancy; Biology; MEDLINE; Political science; Psychology; Childbirth; Systematic review; Medicine