[Out-of-hospital delivery : present state and perspectives]

Out-of-hospital delivery is rare in Switzerland and it accounted for 2,5 % of all the births in 2015. In Switzerland, out-of-hospital childbirth is not subject to any official regulations. It takes place mainly in midwifery units (1,6 %) and at home (0,9 %), by independent midwifes. One in six women needs to be transferred to a hospital because of complications. Perinatal mortality is higher in out-of-hospital childbirth and the hospital is the safest place to give birth. The level of intervention may be lower, maybe because the women choosing to give birth in alternative settings are at lower risk.