Certified Nurse Midwives Provide Safe and Effective Care During Delivery

The authors of a review analyzed studies published between 1990 and 2008 to compare care provided by physicians with care provided by certified nurse midwives during labor and delivery. The analysis included 21 articles providing data on 18 studies. The studies reported data only on hospital deliveries. Two studies were randomized controlled trials, and most of the observational studies employed a retrospective cohort design. The authors acknowledge a number of study limitations, including the fact that most studies included in the review were observational. Although some studies aimed to examine comparable groups of women, it's common for women who use a midwife to be at lower risk for complications. Based on the review findings, the authors conclude that clinical nurse midwives provide safe and effective care during labor and delivery and should be used more frequently, particularly as the need for labor-and-delivery specialists grows.