Improving safety during birth: a universal question for a non-universal practice

Journal article

Birth is entangled into our very survival as a species. The concept of safety during birth, however, has evolved strik­ingly over the past centuries. For example, the clinical decision to proceed with vaginal labour is driven mainly by technological advances in monitoring, sensing, and imag­ing modalities developed in the mid-19th to early 20th century. Yet, this decision process is still not unified between countries or clinicians and remains mostly subjective in nature or guided by regional habits. In fact, as highlighted by WHO, access to technology is highly disparate; new technological or methodological advances need to implicitly account for diversity in decision making to be effective across the globe. This Insight synthesises the discussion and proposed action points (panel; appendix, p 2) of an international series of workshops on improving safety during birth through multidisciplinary collaboration of technology and clinical practice experts.

Authors: Jerusalem, A; Collier, A

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Journal: Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, and Women’s Health
• Publication date: 2026-09-25
• Acceptance date: 2026-09-09
• DOI: 10.1016/S3050-5038(26)00185-8
• ISSN: 3050-5038
• Language: English