Could a decision support tool be the key to supporting choice for women regarding place of birth?

To assess the effectiveness of using an innovative decision aid, MyBirthplace, to facilitate shared decision-making regarding place of birth.

A quasi-experimental study comparing pre-test and post-test responses from participants who had access to the intervention.

A large urban hospital in the south of England.

All pregnant women who accessed maternity care between April and December 2016.

A decision aid (MyBirthplace) designed to provide information and support regarding place of birth. The digital tool (available in both an app and web-based version) was used to facilitate discuss between the women and her midwife at the booking visit.

Women's stage of decision making as measured by the Stage of Decision Making Scale. A questionnaire was administered before and after using MyBirthplace at booking, and again at 28 weeks gestation.

Nearly half the women (42.1%) had already decided where they wanted to give birth before the booking appointment, but a third (34.3%) had not yet begun to think about their choices. The introduction of the decision aid during the booking visit was associated with a significant increase in the stage of decision making suggesting that women had greater certainty in their decision P< 0.0001 [SD 1.077]. Women who accessed MyBirthplace had lower decisional conflict after the booking appointment than those women that did not access the decision aid (35.5% compared with 22.0%) but this difference was not statistically significant.

Decision aids, as a standard part of practice, have the potential to ensure women are informed of their options and encourage shared decision making about place of birth. Women were more confident with their decision following the booking appointment and by 28 weeks; however, further research is needed to identify the role that the decision aid played in building this confidence.

The introduction of a decision aid, Mybirthplace, within the hospital impacted early discussions between the woman and the midwife and appeared to benefit women's decision making regarding place of birth. Further studies of midwives' use of innovative technologies and their implementation are required.