Midwifery, 1977

On January 1, 1974, an autonomous midwifery service was formed at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City to provide an obstetric service to "private" patients. While the autonomy was complete, physician consultation and participation provided by the "full-time or senior resident" staff were always available. We are now aware that this plan as opposed to any other, provided the ingredient of consumer-desired empathy of the midwife coupled with instant obstetric expertise that assured every patient the availability of modern obstetric practice. Four hundred and fifty-four patients cared for by midwives were compared to a random sample of 500 patients cared for by attending obstetricians. A striking similarity in the two groups was evident. Certain items, such as operative deliveries, were higher in the private patient group. The midwifery group had a low incidence of complications, but the incidence of acute complications made it apparent that an operating room suite must be immediately available. It is eminently clear that a low-risk group can be identified but there is no possible way to identify a "no risk" population.