The Value of the Maternity Care Team in the Promotion of Physiologic Birth

An interprofessional approach to prevent recurrent obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASIS): A case report

“…19 Interprofessional practice allows access to a broader array of care in supporting birth and requires training. 13,20 In addition to reducing CS incidence and consistent with the outcomes in this case, there is evidence that birth teams that include continuous labor support can optimize outcomes by improving support of physiological birth 4 and reducing birth complications for the mother and infant. 3,12 Shared decision making among team members and in conjunction with the patient improves the self-confidence and satisfaction of the mother 21,22 and considers the family's preferences in evaluating the evidence to determine the optimal care approach.…”

“…17 The goal of the team in promoting these key elements is to optimize outcomes and prevent recurrent OASIS by promoting physiologic tissue adaptation to stress rather than lacerations and by decreasing the need for medical or surgical interventions. 2,13,18 Consistent with the proposed model, the IBCT is bound by the Interprofessional Practice and Education Collaborative (IPEC) Core Competencies. The IPEC Core Competencies include four domains: (a) values and ethics, (b) roles and responsibilities, (c) communication, and (d) teams and teamwork.…”

“…Birth care teams that include nonmedical personnel, such as doulas, have been associated with reduced CS incidence . In addition to reduced CS incidence and consistent with the outcomes in this case, there is evidence that birth teams with continuous labor support can optimize outcomes by improving support of physiological birth, reducing the risk of having a low birth weight (LBW) infant, reducing birth complications for the mother and infant, increasing the incidence of breastfeeding initiation, and improving cost efficiency . The authors propose a theoretical model for best practices by an interprofessional birth care team (IBCT) in fulfilling a family's preferences for supporting physiologic birth and preventing recurrent OASIS (Figure ).…”

“…The IPEC Core Competencies include four domains: (a) values and ethics, (b) roles and responsibilities, (c) communication, and (d) teams and teamwork . Interprofessional practice allows access to a broader array of care in supporting birth and requires training . In addition to reducing CS incidence and consistent with the outcomes in this case, there is evidence that birth teams that include continuous labor support can optimize outcomes by improving support of physiological birth and reducing birth complications for the mother and infant .…”

“…Working together effectively as an IBCT, three key elements are promoted: expectant labor, maternal mobility, and maternal self‐efficacy . The goal of the team in promoting these key elements is to optimize outcomes and prevent recurrent OASIS by promoting physiologic tissue adaptation to stress rather than lacerations and by decreasing the need for medical or surgical interventions …”