Effect of continuous midwifery care on length of labor

The process of pregnancy and labor has a dramatic impact on society's health. Considering the importance of obstetrical cares and the role and presence of midwife at parturient bedside, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of care and conti-nuous presence of midwifery on labor duration.

This was a semi-experimental study. The study population included parturient women referred to 29 Bahman Hospital in Tabriz who had normal vaginal delivery indication. 100 women were randomly se-lected and divided into experimental and control groups (50 in each group). In the expe-rimental group, obstetrical cares were provided by one midwife since the beginning of active phase of labor with her continuous presence at the bedside of parturient (continu-ing care) whereas in the control group, cares were provided by several midwives and without their continuous presence. Labor consequences (including labor duration) rec-orded for both groups. The data were analyzed through SPSS13 and inferential statistics including independent sample t-test.

In the experimental group, the lengths of the first and second stages were shorter (per minute) than those of control group (p = 0.001). However, the length of the third stage of labor had no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.083). Totally, the lengths of delivery including the first, second and third stages were shorter in the experimental group than in control group (p = 0.001).

The results showed that low number of midwives and their continuous presence on bedside of parturient had a positive effect on reducing the deli-very duration. Therefore, being with "parturient" not only does promote the quality of obstetric care, also can promote the health of society.