Birth plans: Developing a shared medical decision aid tool

Birth plans appeared at the end of the twentieth century, enabling women to express their expectations towards childbirth. This reflects a rising demand for patients to take a proactive role in their medical care. This study aimed to collaboratively develop a medical decision aid with expectant mothers to prepare them better for the events surrounding their child's birth.

Five topics frequently addressed in birth plans were identified by both patients' associations, using semi-structured interview with representatives of women's associations, and professionals, using an online poll. Initially, work groups with perinatal care professionals drafted items designed to guide expectant mothers in developing their birth plans and actively participating in childbirth decisions. Subsequently, we used a modified Delphi-consensus in three rounds to retain the most relevant items. The first two rounds engaged a multidisciplinary team of professionals, while the third involved expectant mothers from two maternity wards in Lyon, France. Items that received a rating between 3 (good value) and 4 (excellent value) on a 4-point scale by more than 75% of participants were deemed consensual. The study assessed inter-rater agreement using the Fleiss kappa score.

The professional work groups proposed a total of 124 items distributed across five themes: analgesia during labour, drug administration before and during labour, events in the delivery room, initial neonatal care, and perineal protection. Ultimately, 65.3% of the initial 124 items were deemed relevant by both the experts and the expectant mothers. Notably, the most significant differences in consensus centered around analgesia and the complexity of information. Non-medicinal analgesic methods were favored by mothers-to-be but not by professionals. Conversely, detailed information on delayed cord clamping were favored by experts.

A modified Delphi consensus was used to create with expectant mothers a decision aid tool to help them write their birth projects, addressing five main topics that are frequently reported in the literature. We now need to test this tool in clinical practice to assess its relevance in routine obstetrics consultation.