Defining the latent phase of labour: is it important?

Background and rationale: The latent phase of labour is recognised as a period of uncertainty for both women and midwives. There is evidence from the literature of considerable variation in labour definitions and practice. Stimulated by discussion at an international maternity research conference, we set out to explore opinions regarding the need for labour stage definitions. Aim: to identify health professionals’ views regarding the need for a definition of the onset and the end of the latent phase of labour. Methods: This was an opportunistic, semi-structured, online survey of attendees at a maternity care research conference, which included midwives, other clinicians, academics, advocates and user representatives. Attendees (approximately 100) were invited to participate through a single email invitation sent by the conference committee and containing a link to the survey. Consent was sought on the landing page. Ethical approval was obtained from Bournemouth University’s research ethics committee. Quantitative questions were analysed using simple descriptive statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 24. Open questions were analysed using content analysis and where participants gave a more detailed answer, these were analysed using a thematic approach. Findings: Participants in the survey (n = 21) came from twelve countries. Most of the participants thought that there was a need to define the onset of the latent phase (n = 15, 71%). Common characteristics were cited, but the main theme in the open comments referred to the importance of women’s perceptions of labour onset. Most participants (n = 18, 86%) thought that there was a need to define the end of the latent phase. This was felt necessary because current practice within facilities is usually dictated by a definition. The characteristics suggested were also not unexpected and there was some consensus; but the degree of cervical dilatation that signified the end of the latent phase varied among participants