Obstetric practices and childbirth care: a mixed method study.

To identify the obstetric practices used in childbirth care and the association between obstetric and sociodemographic conditions of women and the route of delivery. This was a concurrent mixed-method study with 399 postpartum women, which used structured and semi-structured interviews, data from medical records, and the pregnant woman’s health record between August 2017 and March 2018 in a public maternity hospital in the state of Paraná. Content analysis and a chi-square test were used to analyze the data. Frequent obstetric interventions in childbirth care were identified, mainly the use of oxytocin, amniotomy, repeated vaginal exams, and episiotomy. Vaginal birth was associated with maternal age, usual risk, ruptured membranes, absent uterine dynamics, and uterine dilation greater than five on admission. In conclusion, there is frequent use of harmful, ineffective, or inappropriately used practices and incipient use of practices that should be encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]