This guideline covers safe midwifery staffing in all maternity settings, including at home, in the community, in day assessment units, in obstetric units, and in units led by midwives (both alongside hospitals and free-standing). It aims to improve maternity care by giving advice on monitoring staffing l...
The primary audience for this guideline includes health-care professionals who are responsible for developing national and local health-care protocols and policies, as well as managers of maternal and child health programmes and policy-makers in all settings. The guideline will also be useful to those di...
The World Health Organization’s recommendations on optimizing the roles of health workers aim to help address critical health workforce shortages that slow down progress towards the health-related Millennium Development Goals. A more rational distribution of tasks and responsibilities among cadres of h...
The World Health Organization’s recommendations on optimizing the roles of health workers aim to help address critical health workforce shortages that slow down progress towards the health-related Millennium Development Goals. A more rational distribution of tasks and responsibilities among cadres of h...
Over recent decades, more and more pregnant
women around the world have undergone
induction of labour (artificially initiated labour)
to deliver their babies. In developed countries,
up to 25% of all deliveries at term now involve
induction of labour. In developing countries, the
rates are generally lowe...
The first hours, days and weeks after childbirth are a dangerous time for both mother and newborn
infant. Among the more than 500 000 women who die each year due to complications of pregnancy
and childbirth (1), most deaths occur during or immediately after childbirth (2). Every year three
million infant...
Every year, about 3.7 million babies die in the first four weeks of life (2004 estimates). Most of these newborns are born in developing countries and most die at home. Up to two-thirds of these deaths can be prevented if mothers and newborns receive known, effective interventions. A strategy that promot...
