The ResQu Index: A new instrument to appraise the quality of research on birth place.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Place of birth is a known determinant of health care outcomes, interventions and costs. Many studies have examined the maternal and perinatal outcomes when women plan to give birth in hospitals compared with births in birth centres or at home. However, these studies vary substantially in rigour; assessing their quality is challenging. Existing research appraisal tools do not always capture important elements of study design that are critical when comparing outcomes by planned place of birth. To address this deficiency, we aimed to develop a reliable instrument to rate the quality of primary research on maternal and newborn outcomes by place of birth.

Study design

The instrument development process involved five phases: 1) generation of items and a weighted scoring

SUBMITTER: Vedam S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5552354 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature