How can consultant-led childbirth care at time of delivery be maximised? A modelling study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has advised that consolidation of birth centres, where reasonable, into birth centres of at least 6000 admissions per year should allow constant consultant presence. Currently, only 17% of mothers attend such birth centres. The objective of this work was to examine the feasibility of consolidation of birth centres, from the perspectives of birth centre size and travel times for mothers.

Design

Computer-based optimisation.

Setting

Hospital-based births.

Population or sample

1.91 million admissions in 2014-2016.

Methods

A multiple-objective genetic algorithm.

Main outcome measures

Travel time for mothers and size of birth centres.

Results

Currently, with 161 birth centres, 17% of

SUBMITTER: Allen M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7348651 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature