Quality Indicators during Delivery and the Immediate Postpartum Period: A Modified Delphi Study

Our research hypothesis was that most French indicators of quality of care have been validated by experts who are not clinicians and might not always be meaningful for clinicians. Our objective was to define a core set of measurable indicators of care quality during delivery and the immediate postpartum period relevant to clinical practice.

A steering committee comprising nine specialists in obstetrics and/or public health conducted a literature review to develop potential indicators. A panel of obstetrician-gynecologists and midwives working in a delivery unit rated each indicator for appropriateness in a two-round Rand-modified Delphi procedure and a physical meeting. The consensus among the panelists was assessed.

In the first round, 145 panelists (110 obstetrician-gynecologists and 35 midwives) assessed 77 indicators and 3 definitions: 6 related to labor onset, 20 to delivery, 3 to pain management, 23 to neonatal morbidity/mortality, and 28 to maternal morbidity. In the second round, 132 panelists (98 obstetrician-gynecologists and 34 midwives) assessed 42 indicators and 1 definition. The final set comprised 50 indicators and 2 definitions.

This Delphi procedure selected 50 indicators that reflect the quality of perinatal care. These indicators should be recorded in each French maternity ward's birth register for each delivery.