Home Birth Reference Site

Methodology

I have summarised the main points from research abstracts of home birth studies. The list is intended to give an objective overview of available research, not just those studies which support my own point of view. It is updated regularly. Where the research, or an abstract, is available online, a link is given so that you can check it for yourself. Direct quotes from the source are in quotation marks 'like this'.

Which studies should you believe?

Not all scientific studies are equally valuable. To give an accurate picture of the safety of planned home birth, studies should compare like with like. Points to look out for:

Some critics of homebirth safety feel that much of the research on homebirth is biased in its favour, and so I intend during 1996 to give more detailed critiques of the studies listed here. I do not believe that homebirth advocates need to rely on substandard research; it is important that women can feel confident in the studies they use to inform their choices.

Further information about the methodology of each study is usually available in the original document. Where the study is published in an online journal, such as the electronic British Medical Journal, correspondence discussing methodology is often available by links from the original article.

For detailed discussions on methodology, see some of the books recommended: 'Where to be born' by Campbell & McFarlane, and 'Safer Childbirth?' by Marjorie Tew.

 

Contact Details

If you have any comments on this site, please contact angela @ abcde.homebirth.org.uk
(REMOVE 'abcde' to get the correct email address - a provision to stop my email address being inundated with junk mail)

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