Patients who received epidural analgesia experienced fewer vaginal lacerations. There was no increase in OVD in patients who received epidural analgesia. Patients who delivered at a suburban hospital staffed by family medicine residents experienced fewer lacerations than those delivering at an urban hospital staffed by Obstetrics and Gynecology residents after controlling for race and other factors.

Healthcare missionaries (n=393) from 18 English-speaking countries, serving in 67 countries, were surveyed. With an average of 11 years of field experience and working primarily in the local language, participants in this study were able to report on healthcare situations and experience for expatriate healthcare missionaries in their countries of service. The healthcare institutions in most countries of the world were reported to be improving. Most countries were reported hospitable to the presence of expatriate missionaries, but there also existed some resistance to expression of Christian faith in the workplace. As mission organizations consider where to place healthcare professionals for medical service, consideration should be given to the trends and opportunities present in different regions of the world, so as to achieve the greatest outcomes and to provide the best match between the missionary and the context in which they work.