Intrapartum care

Structure

Evidence of local arrangements to ensure that women at low risk of complications who are in labour that is progressing normally do not have amniotomy or oxytocin.

Data source: Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example, from local protocols on the use of amniotomy and oxytocin.

Process

Proportion of women at low risk of complications whose labour is progressing normally who do not have amniotomy or oxytocin.

Numerator – the number in the denominator who do not have amniotomy or oxytocin.

Denominator – the number of women at low risk of complications whose labour is progressing normally.

Data source: Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example, from patient records.

Outcome

a) The number of women whose labour progressed normally who had amniotomy or oxytocin.

Data source: Data can be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example, from patient records.

b) Maternal satisfaction and experience of care.

Data source: National data is collected as part of the Care Quality Commission's Maternity Survey, section C ('Your labour and the birth of your baby'). Data can also be collected from information recorded locally by healthcare professionals and provider organisations, for example, from patient satisfaction surveys.

Normal labour and normal progression of labour

The NICE full guideline on intrapartum care adopts the World Health Organization definition of a normal labour: 'labour is normal when it is spontaneous in onset, low risk at the start and remaining so throughout labour and birth. The baby is born spontaneously and in the vertex position between 37 to 42 completed weeks of pregnancy. After birth the woman and baby are in good condition'.