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Plain language summary The new WHO Labour Care Guide (LCG) is an innovative partograph that emphasises women-centred, evidence-based care during labour and childbirth. Together with clinicians working at four hospitals in India, we will develop and test a strategy to implement the LCG into routine care in labour wards of these hospitals. We will use a randomised trial design where this LCG strategy is introduced sequentially in each of the four hospitals, in a random order. We will collect data on all women giving birth and their newborns during this period and analyse whether the LCG strategy has any effects on the use of Caesarean section, women’s and newborn’s health outcomes, and women’s experiences during labour and childbirth. While the trial is being conducted, we will also collect qualitative and quantitative data from doctors, nurses and midwives working in these hospitals, to understand their perspectives and experiences of using the LCG in their day-to-day work. In addition, we will collect economic data to understand how much the LCG strategy costs, and how much money it might save if it is effective. Through this study, our international collaboration will generate critical evidence and innovative tools to support implementation of the LCG in other countries.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) Labour Care Guide (LCG) is a paper-based labour monitoring tool designed to facilitate the implementation of WHO's latest guidelines for effective, respectful care during labour and childbirth. Implementing the LCG into routine intrapartum care requires a strategy that improves healthcare provider practices during labour and childbirth. Such a strategy might optimize the use of Caesarean section (CS), along with potential benefits on the use of other obstetric interventions, maternal and perinatal health outcomes, and women's experience of care. However, the effects of a strategy to implement the LCG have not been evaluated in a randomised trial. This study aims to: (1) develop and optimise a strategy for implementing the LCG (formative phase); and (2) To evaluate the implementation of the LCG strategy compared with usual care (trial phase). Methods: In the formative phase, we will co-design the LCG strategy with key stakeholders informed by facility assessments and provider surveys, which will be field tested in one hospital. The LCG strategy includes a LCG training program, ongoing supportive supervision from senior clinical staff, and audit and feedback using the Robson Classification. We will then conduct a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized pilot trial in four public hospitals in India, to evaluate the effect of the LCG strategy intervention compared to usual care (simplified WHO partograph). The primary outcome is the CS rate in nulliparous women with singleton, term, cephalic pregnancies in spontaneous labour (Robson Group 1). Secondary outcomes include clinical and process of care outcomes, as well as women's experience of care outcomes. We will also conduct a process evaluation during the trial, using standardized facility assessments, in-depth interviews and surveys with providers, audits of completed LCGs, labour ward observations and document reviews. An economic evaluation will consider implementation costs and cost-effectiveness. Discussion: Findings of this trial will guide clinicians, administrators and policymakers on how to effectively implement the LCG, and what (if any) effects the LCG strategy has on process of care, health and experience outcomes. The trial findings will inform the rollout of LCG internationally. Trial registration: CTRI/2021/01/030695 (Protocol version 1.4, 25 April 2022). Plain language summary: The new WHO Labour Care Guide (LCG) is an innovative partograph that emphasises women-centred, evidence-based care during labour and childbirth. Together with clinicians working at four hospitals in India, we will develop and test a strategy to implement the LCG into routine care in labour wards of these hospitals. We will use a randomised trial design where this LCG strategy is introduced sequentially in each of the four hospitals, in a random order. We will collect data on all women giving birth and their newborns during this period and analyse whether the LCG strategy has any effects on the use of Caesarean section, women's and newborn's health outcomes, and women's experiences during labour and childbirth. While the trial is being conducted, we will also collect qualitative and quantitative data from doctors, nurses and midwives working in these hospitals, to understand their perspectives and experiences of using the LCG in their day-to-day work. In addition, we will collect economic data to understand how much the LCG strategy costs, and how much money it might save if it is effective. Through this study, our international collaboration will generate critical evidence and innovative tools to support implementation of the LCG in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plain language summary Pregnancy and childbirth are natural phenomena, but sometimes have risk for mothers and babies. Therefore, childbirth should be carefully and continuously monitored by the health care professional. The ‘partograph’ is a useful tool that defines three monitoring aspects of the delivery progress, and conditions of the mother and intrauterine baby. However, it is often used inaccurately or inappropriately in low- and middle-income countries. We hypothesised that health professionals who assist childbirth cannot effectively monitor delivery conditions because their knowledge is insufficient. Therefore, we evaluated the knowledge on monitoring the process of childbirth and explored factors which affect the level of knowledge among health care providers in Cambodia. Midwives and nurses were targeted in this study who deal with normal deliveries in the capital city and two provinces. The questionnaire was designed to evaluate if their knowledge on three monitoring aspects is accurate. Of 542 eligible personnel, 523 (96%) participated. The mean score was 58%. Only 3% got scores of more than 90%. According to the statistical analysis, ‘working in Kampong Cham province’, ‘younger age’, and ‘higher qualification’ were significantly associated with higher scores. Previous training experience was not associated with the score. This study found that basic knowledge was low on delivery management among health care providers. We suspect that a deficiency of basic medical knowledge, such as physiology and anatomy, causes the lack of knowledge on the childbirth process. Further intervention should be attempted to improve the knowledge and quality of maternity services in Cambodia.

Résumé Contexte Le partogramme est l'outil de suivi du travail le plus couramment utillis dans le monde. Cependant, il est utilisé de façon incorrecte ou non uniforme dans de nombreux contextes. En 2018, un groupe d'experts de l'OMS a examiné et révisé la conception du partogramme à la lumière de nouvelles données et a développé la première version du Guide de Gestion du Travail. L'objectif de cette étude était d'explorer les points de vue et les opinions du personnel de santé qualifié sur la première version du Guide de Gestion du Travail de l'OMS. Méthodes Un vaste réseau mondial de recherche a permis d'identifier le personnel de santé qualifié (y compris des obstétriciens, des sages-femmes et des médecins généralistes) des deux sexes, en Afrique, Asie, Europe et en Amérique latine. Les coordinateurs nationaux du réseau ont invité entre 5 et 10 personnels de santé qualifiés de niveau intermédiaire à supérieur, et ayant travaillé dans des services de maternité à au cours des 5 dernières années. Un questionnaire en ligne, structuré, anonyme et à remplir soi-même, comprenant des questions fermées et ouvertes, a été conçu pour évaluer la clarté, la pertinence, la convenance de la fréquence d'enregistrement et l’intégrité des variables du Guide de Gestion du Travail. Résultats Au total, 110 participants de 23 pays ont répondu à l'enquête entre décembre 2018 et janvier 2019. Les variables incluses dans le Guide de Gestion du Travail ont t généralement considérées claires, pertinentes et avec une fréquence d'enregistrement appropriée. La plupart des sections du Guide de Gestion du Travail sont considérées complètes. Les participants ont approuvé ou fortement approuvé le concept générale, la structure du Guide de Gestion du Travail et l'utilité des seuils de référence pour déclencher une évaluation et des actions supplémentaires. Ils ont également convenu que le Guide de Gestion du Travail aura potentiellement un impact positif sur les prise de décisions cliniques et les soins maternels respectueux. Les personnes interrogées ont exprimé leur désaccord avec la valeur de certaines variables, notamment la capacité d'adaptation, l'urine et l'état néonatal. Conclusions Les futurs utilisateurs du le Guide de Gestion du Travail ont estimé que les variables étaient claires, pertinentes et appropriées, et qu'elles pourraient avoir un impact positif sur la prise de décision clinique et les soins de maternit respectueux, moyennant quelques améliorations mineures.

Abstrait Objectif Il n’ya pas de consensus sur les paramètres essentiels à surveiller pendant l’accouchement, quand commencer et le taux de surveillance. Le désaccord des utilisateurs contribue à une utilisation incohérente du partogramme modifié de l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé en douze éléments qui est. démarré lorsque le col. de l’utérus est. dilaté à au moins 4 cm. L’utilisation incohérente est. associée à de mauvais résultats à la naissance. Notre objectif était d’identifier les points de vue des experts en matière d’accouchement sur ce qu’il convient de surveiller régulièrement pendant l’accouchement dans les pays à faibles ressources, et à quel moment, afin de développer un outil d’aide à la décision clinique plus acceptable pour l’accouchement. Méthode Nous avons mené une étude Delphi avec deux enquêtes au début de 2018. Le questionnaire en ligne couvrait les éléments du partogramme tels que le cœur du fœtus, la dilatation du col. utérin et la pression artérielle, ainsi que leurs taux de surveillance. Nous avons invité des intervenants expérimentés dans les soins à l’accouchement en Afrique subsaharienne. Le consensus était prédéfini à 70%. Les membres du panel évaluaient un paramètre et quelques raisons qualitatives des choix recueillis. Résultats Nous avons analysé les réponses de 76 experts de 13 pays. Un consensus s’est. dégagé sur six paramètres importants, notamment la fréquence cardiaque fœtale, la clarté du liquide amniotique, la dilatation du col. utérin, la force des contractions utérines, le pouls maternel et la pression artérielle. Deux experts sur trois se sont déclarés favorables à la modification des intervalles de surveillance pour certains paramètres dans le partogramme. 63% des experts élèveraient le point de départ du partogramme alors que 58% en supprimeraient certains éléments. Un consensus s’est. dégagé sur le suivi de la dilatation cervicale toutes les 4 heures et un accord sur le suivi du rythme cardiaque fœtal toutes les heures. Cependant, d’autres paramètres ne montraient que les intervalles de majorité et sans atteindre les scores d’accord. Les intervalles suggérés étaient de deux heures pour la force des contractions utérines et de quatre heures pour l’épaisseur du liquide amniotique, le pouls de la mère et la pression artérielle. La raison la plus commune de leurs opinions était les conditions de travail les plus exigeantes. Conclusion il y avait accord sur le fait que six items du partogramme étaient essentiels pour le suivi systématique à la naissance, mais la fréquence du suivi pourrait être modifiée. Pour accroître l’acceptabilité, il est. nécessaire de réviser les lignes directrices sur la surveillance des naissances en tenant compte des opinions et des conditions de travail de plusieurs experts en matière d’accouchement dans des pays à faibles ressources.

Background: Delivery is a critical moment for pregnant women and babies, and careful monitoring is essential throughout the delivery process. The partograph is a useful tool for monitoring and assessing labour progress as well as maternal and foetal conditions; however, it is often used inaccurately or inappropriately. A gap between practices and evidence-based guidelines has been reported in Cambodia, perhaps due to a lack of evidence-based knowledge in maternity care. This study aims to address to what extent skilled birth attendants in the first-line health services in Cambodia have knowledge on the management of normal delivery, and what factors are associated with their level of knowledge. Methods: Midwives and nurses were recruited working in maternity in first-line public health facilities in Phnom Penh municipality, Kampong Cham and Svay Rieng provinces. Two self-administered questionnaires were applied. The first consisted of three sections with questions on monitoring aspects of the partograph: progress of labour, foetal, and maternal conditions. The second consisted of questions on diagnostic criteria, normal ranges, and standard intervals of monitoring during labour. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify relationships between characteristics of the participants and the questionnaire scores. Results: Of 542 eligible midwives and nurses, 523 (96%) participated. The overall mean score was 58%. Only 3% got scores of more than 90%. Multivariate analysis revealed that 'Kampong Cham province', 'younger age', and 'higher qualification' were significantly associated with higher scores. Previous training experience was not associated with the score. Substantial proportions of misclassification of monitoring items during labour were found; for example, 61% answered uterine contraction as a foetal condition, and 44% answered foetal head descent and 26% answered foetal heart rate as a maternal condition. Conclusion: This study found that knowledge was low on delivery management among skilled birth attendants. Previous training experience did not influence the knowledge level. A lack of understanding of physiology and anatomy was implied. Further experimental approaches should be attempted to improve the knowledge and quality of maternity services in Cambodia. Plain language summary: Pregnancy and childbirth are natural phenomena, but sometimes have risk for mothers and babies. Therefore, childbirth should be carefully and continuously monitored by the health care professional. The 'partograph' is a useful tool that defines three monitoring aspects of the delivery progress, and conditions of the mother and intrauterine baby. However, it is often used inaccurately or inappropriately in low- and middle-income countries. We hypothesised that health professionals who assist childbirth cannot effectively monitor delivery conditions because their knowledge is insufficient. Therefore, we evaluated the knowledge on monitoring the process of childbirth and explored factors which affect the level of knowledge among health care providers in Cambodia. Midwives and nurses were targeted in this study who deal with normal deliveries in the capital city and two provinces. The questionnaire was designed to evaluate if their knowledge on three monitoring aspects is accurate. Of 542 eligible personnel, 523 (96%) participated. The mean score was 58%. Only 3% got scores of more than 90%. According to the statistical analysis, 'working in Kampong Cham province', 'younger age', and 'higher qualification' were significantly associated with higher scores. Previous training experience was not associated with the score. This study found that basic knowledge was low on delivery management among health care providers. We suspect that a deficiency of basic medical knowledge, such as physiology and anatomy, causes the lack of knowledge on the childbirth process. Further intervention should be attempted to improve the knowledge and quality of maternity services in Cambodia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The partograph is the most commonly used labour monitoring tool in the world. However, it has been used incorrectly or inconsistently in many settings. In 2018, a WHO expert group reviewed and revised the design of the partograph in light of emerging evidence, and they developed the first version of the Labour Care Guide (LCG). The objective of this study was to explore opinions of skilled health personnel on the first version of the WHO Labour Care Guide. Methods: Skilled health personnel (including obstetricians, midwives and general practitioners) of any gender from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America were identified through a large global research network. Country coordinators from the network invited 5 to 10 mid-level and senior skilled health personnel who had worked in labour wards anytime in the last 5 years. A self-administered, anonymous, structured, online questionnaire including closed and open-ended questions was designed to assess the clarity, relevance, appropriateness of the frequency of recording, and the completeness of the sections and variables on the LCG. Results: A total of 110 participants from 23 countries completed the survey between December 2018 and January 2019. Variables included in the LCG were generally considered clear, relevant and to have been recorded at the appropriate frequency. Most sections of the LCG were considered complete. Participants agreed or strongly agreed with the overall design, structure of the LCG, and the usefulness of reference thresholds to trigger further assessment and actions. They also agreed that LCG could potentially have a positive impact on clinical decision-making and respectful maternity care. Participants disagreed with the value of some variables, including coping, urine, and neonatal status. Conclusions: Future end-users of WHO Labour Care Guide considered the variables to be clear, relevant and appropriate, and, with minor improvements, to have the potential to positively impact clinical decision-making and respectful maternity care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Making use of good, evidence based routines, for management of normal childbirth is essential to ensure quality of care and prevent, identify and manage complications if they occur. Two essential routine care interventions as defined by the World Health Organization are the use of the Partograph and Active Management of the Third Stage of Labour. Both interventions have been evaluated for their ability to assist health providers to detect and deal with complications. There is however little research about the quality of such interventions for routine care. Qualitative studies can help to understand how such complex interventions are implemented. This paper reports on findings from an observation study on maternity wards in Tanzania. Methods The study took place in the Lake Zone in Tanzania. Between 2014 and 2016 the first author observed and participated in the care for women on maternity wards in four rural and semi-urban health facilities. The data is a result of approximately 1300 hours of observations, systematically recorded primarily in observation notes and notes of informal conversations with health providers, women and their families. Detailed description of care processes were analysed using an ethnographic analysis approach focused on the sequential relationship of the ‘stages of labour’. Themes were identified through identification of recurrent patterns. Results Three themes were identified: 1) Women’s movement between rooms during birth, 2) health providers’ assumptions and hope for a ‘normal’ birth, 3) fear of poor outcomes that stimulates intervention during birth. Women move between different rooms during childbirth which influences the care they receive. Few women were monitored during their first stage of labour. Routine birth monitoring appeared absent due to health providers ’assumptions and hope for good outcomes. This was rooted in a general belief that most women eventually give birth without problems and the partograph did not correspond with health providers’ experience of the birth process. Contextual circumstances also limited health worker ability to act in case of complications. At the same time, fear for being held personally responsible for outcomes triggered active intervention in second stage of labour, even if there was no indication to intervene. Conclusions Insufficient monitoring leads to poor preparedness of health providers both for normal birth and in case of complications. As a result both underuse and overuse of interventions contribute to poor quality of care. Risk and complication management have for many years been prioritized at the expense of routine care for all women. Complex evaluations are needed to understand the current implementation gaps and find ways for improving quality of care for all women.

Abstract Background There is some evidence that appropriate use of partograph in monitoring the progress of labour could decrease delivery related complications. The documentation of parameters of partographs is however, poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to determine the extent to which health care workers are making use of the partograph in monitoring the progress of labour through checking the documentation of the parameters of the partographs. Methods A hospital-based descriptive study involving retrospective review of partographs for births that occurred in 2016 was conducted in Malawi’s South-West zone. A total of 1070 partographs that were used to monitor labour in two public hospitals were reviewed to determine the documentation of the parameters of partographs and descriptive statistics were computed using statistical package for the social science software version 22.0. Results Of the total 1070 partographs reviewed, 58.6% (n = 627) of the partographs had no recording of maternal blood pressure and 65.3% (n = 699) of the partographs had no temperature documentation. Moulding was not recorded in 25.4% (n = 272) of the partographs, foetal heart rate was not recorded in 14.9% (n = 159) of the partographs and descent of the foetal head was not recorded in 12.0% (n = 128) of the partographs. Conclusion There is poor documentation of vital parameters of the partographs. This suggests insufficient monitoring of the progress of labour, which may lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes. To improve the accurate documentation of parameters of the partograph, there is a need to understand the problem and provide tailor-made solutions to address them and ultimately improve pregnancy outcomes. In the meantime, in-service refresher courses on partograph use to health care workers need to be conducted regularly. Supportive supervision to obstetric care providers and regular partograph audit could also improve documentation.

Background: Making use of good, evidence based routines, for management of normal childbirth is essential to ensure quality of care and prevent, identify and manage complications if they occur. Two essential routine care interventions as defined by the World Health Organization are the use of the Partograph and Active Management of the Third Stage of Labour. Both interventions have been evaluated for their ability to assist health providers to detect and deal with complications. There is however little research about the quality of such interventions for routine care. Qualitative studies can help to understand how such complex interventions are implemented. This paper reports on findings from an observation study on maternity wards in Tanzania. Methods: The study took place in the Lake Zone in Tanzania. Between 2014 and 2016 the first author observed and participated in the care for women on maternity wards in four rural and semi-urban health facilities. The data is a result of approximately 1300 hours of observations, systematically recorded primarily in observation notes and notes of informal conversations with health providers, women and their families. Detailed description of care processes were analysed using an ethnographic analysis approach focused on the sequential relationship of the 'stages of labour'. Themes were identified through identification of recurrent patterns. Results: Three themes were identified: 1) Women's movement between rooms during birth, 2) health providers' assumptions and hope for a 'normal' birth, 3) fear of poor outcomes that stimulates intervention during birth. Women move between different rooms during childbirth which influences the care they receive. Few women were monitored during their first stage of labour. Routine birth monitoring appeared absent due to health providers 'assumptions and hope for good outcomes. This was rooted in a general belief that most women eventually give birth without problems and the partograph did not correspond with health providers' experience of the birth process. Contextual circumstances also limited health worker ability to act in case of complications. At the same time, fear for being held personally responsible for outcomes triggered active intervention in second stage of labour, even if there was no indication to intervene. Conclusions: Insufficient monitoring leads to poor preparedness of health providers both for normal birth and in case of complications. As a result both underuse and overuse of interventions contribute to poor quality of care. Risk and complication management have for many years been prioritized at the expense of routine care for all women. Complex evaluations are needed to understand the current implementation gaps and find ways for improving quality of care for all women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is some evidence that appropriate use of partograph in monitoring the progress of labour could decrease delivery related complications. The documentation of parameters of partographs is however, poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to determine the extent to which health care workers are making use of the partograph in monitoring the progress of labour through checking the documentation of the parameters of the partographs. Methods: A hospital-based descriptive study involving retrospective review of partographs for births that occurred in 2016 was conducted in Malawi's South-West zone. A total of 1070 partographs that were used to monitor labour in two public hospitals were reviewed to determine the documentation of the parameters of partographs and descriptive statistics were computed using statistical package for the social science software version 22.0. Results: Of the total 1070 partographs reviewed, 58.6% (n = 627) of the partographs had no recording of maternal blood pressure and 65.3% (n = 699) of the partographs had no temperature documentation. Moulding was not recorded in 25.4% (n = 272) of the partographs, foetal heart rate was not recorded in 14.9% (n = 159) of the partographs and descent of the foetal head was not recorded in 12.0% (n = 128) of the partographs. Conclusion: There is poor documentation of vital parameters of the partographs. This suggests insufficient monitoring of the progress of labour, which may lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes. To improve the accurate documentation of parameters of the partograph, there is a need to understand the problem and provide tailor-made solutions to address them and ultimately improve pregnancy outcomes. In the meantime, in-service refresher courses on partograph use to health care workers need to be conducted regularly. Supportive supervision to obstetric care providers and regular partograph audit could also improve documentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The partograph is currently the main tool available to support decision-making of health professionals during labour. However, the rate of appropriate use of the partograph is disappointingly low. Apart from limitations that are associated with partograph use, evidence of positive impact on labour-related health outcomes is lacking. The main goal of this study is to develop a Simplified, Effective, Labour Monitoring-to-Action (SELMA) tool. The primary objectives are: to identify the essential elements of intrapartum monitoring that trigger the decision to use interventions aimed at preventing poor labour outcomes; to develop a simplified, monitoring-to-action algorithm for labour management; and to compare the diagnostic performance of SELMA and partograph algorithms as tools to identify women who are likely to develop poor labour-related outcomes. Methods/Design: A prospective cohort study will be conducted in eight health facilities in Nigeria and Uganda (four facilities from each country). All women admitted for vaginal birth will comprise the study population (estimated sample size: 7,812 women). Data will be collected on maternal characteristics on admission, labour events and pregnancy outcomes by trained research assistants at the participating health facilities. Prediction models will be developed to identify women at risk of intrapartum-related perinatal death or morbidity (primary outcomes) throughout the course of labour. These predictions models will be used to assemble a decision-support tool that will be able to suggest the best course of action to avert adverse outcomes during the course of labour. To develop this set of prediction models, we will use up-to-date techniques of prognostic research, including identification of important predictors, assigning of relative weights to each predictor, estimation of the predictive performance of the model through calibration and discrimination, and determination of its potential for application using internal validation techniques. Discussion: This research offers an opportunity to revisit the theoretical basis of the partograph. It is envisioned that the final product would help providers overcome the challenging tasks of promptly interpreting complex labour information and deriving appropriate clinical actions, and thus increase efficiency of the care process, enhance providers' competence and ultimately improve labour outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As most pregnancy-related deaths and morbidities are clustered around the time of childbirth, quality of care during this period is critical to the survival of pregnant women and their babies. Despite the wide acceptance of partograph as the central tool to optimize labour outcomes for over 40 years, its use has not successfully improved outcomes in many settings for several reasons. There are also increasing questions about the validity and applicability of its central feature --"the alert line"-- to all women regardless of their labour characteristics. Apart from the known deficiencies in labour care, attempts to improve quality of care in low resource settings have also failed to address and integrate women's birth experience into quality improvement processes. It was against this background that the World Health Organization (WHO) embarked on the Better Outcomes in Labour Difficulty (BOLD) project to improve the quality of intrapartum care in low- and middle-income countries. The main goal of the BOLD project is to reduce intrapartum-related stillbirths, maternal and newborn mortalities and morbidities by addressing the critical barriers to the process of good quality intrapartum care and enhancing the connection between health systems and communities. The project seeks to achieve this goal by (1) developing an evidence-based, easy to use, labour monitoring-to-action decision-support tool (currently termed Simplified, Effective, Labour Monitoring-to-Action -- SELMA); and (2) by developing innovative service prototypes/tools, co-designed with users of health services (women, their families and communities) and health providers, to promote access to respectful, dignified and emotionally supportive care for pregnant women and their companions at the time of birth ("Passport to Safer Birth"). This two-pronged approach is expected to positively impact on important domains of quality of care relating to both provision and experience of care. In this paper, we briefly describe the rationale for innovative thinking in relation to improving quality of care around the time of childbirth and introduce WHO current plans to improve care through research, design and implementation of innovative tools and services in the post-2015 era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]