Ensuring the Well-Being of Mothers and Infants by Strengthening Midwifery Services: From Evidence to Practice

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2024 | Viewed by 1055

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Nursing, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
Interests: midwifery care; maternal and child care; midwifery education and policy; health care management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Improving the ability to consistently provide good quality care is fundamental for universal health coverage. When it comes to the well-being of mothers and infants, high-quality midwifery services can provide huge benefits. As part of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights, midwives are leaders in promoting health and well-being and upholding human rights. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) specify that reducing maternal mortality and morbidity and improving the overall quality of maternal health care are critical for achieving these goals. Moreover, effective midwife interventions could avert more than 80% of all maternal deaths, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths that occur in recent times. From maternal and newborn care to infection prevention and control, family planning, safe abortion, and addressing gender-based violence, midwives play a critical role in improving health outcomes across the world. However, due to differences in political, economic, and cultural contexts, healthcare systems and models of care for pregnant women vary from country to country.

This Special Issue, “Ensuring the Well-Being of Mothers and Infants by Strengthening Midwifery Services: From Evidence to Practice” aims to provide global, evidence-informed recommendations to improve the well-being of mothers and infants.

We welcome original studies, reviews, and other types of articles that provide clinical evidence to improve the quality of current midwifery services, and are open to papers in a variety of areas related to maternal and infant well-being.

We hope that this Special Issue will be of interest to researchers, midwives, clinicians, educators in various fields, policymakers, officials, and politicians to enhance the capacity and quality of midwifery services.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Hong Lu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • maternal health care
  • infant health care
  • well-being
  • midwifery
  • evidence-based practice
  • high quality of service

Published Papers (1 paper)

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14 pages, 2598 KiB  
Systematic Review
Effects of Perineal Warm Compresses during the Second Stage of Labor on Reducing Perineal Trauma and Relieving Postpartum Perineal Pain in Primiparous Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses
by Ruiyang Sun, Jing Huang, Xiu Zhu, Rui Hou, Yu Zang, Yuxuan Li, Jingyu Pan and Hong Lu
Healthcare 2024, 12(7), 702; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12070702 - 22 Mar 2024
Viewed by 884
Abstract
Non-pharmaceutical midwifery techniques, including perineal warm compresses, to improve maternal outcomes remain controversial. The aims of this study are to assess the effects of perineal warm compresses on reducing perineal trauma and postpartum perineal pain relief. This systematic review included randomized controlled trials [...] Read more.
Non-pharmaceutical midwifery techniques, including perineal warm compresses, to improve maternal outcomes remain controversial. The aims of this study are to assess the effects of perineal warm compresses on reducing perineal trauma and postpartum perineal pain relief. This systematic review included randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We searched seven bibliographic databases, three RCT register websites, and two dissertation databases for publications from inception to 15 March 2023. Chinese and English publications were included. Two independent reviewers conducted the risk of bias assessment, data extraction, and the evaluation of the certainty of the evidence utilizing the Cochrane risk of bias 2.0 assessment criteria, the Review Manager 5.4, and the online GRADEpro tool, respectively. Seven RCTs involving 1362 primiparous women were included. The combined results demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in the second-, third- and/or fourth- degree perineal lacerations, the incidence of episiotomy, and the relief of the short-term perineal pain postpartum (within two days). There was a potential favorable effect on improving the integrity of the perineum. However, the results did not show a statistically significant supportive effect on reducing first-degree perineal lacerations and the rate of perineal lacerations requiring sutures. In summary, perineal warm compresses effectively reduced the second-, third-/or fourth-degree perineal trauma and decreased the short-term perineal pain after birth. Full article
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