Improving Perinatal Care in Latin America

Clustered Trial for Improving Perinatal Care in Uruguay/Argentina

Many obstetrical interventions used in Latin America, as in other parts of the world, have been shown to be ineffective or harmful, while effective interventions remain underutilized. This study will develop and evaluate an intervention intended to implement two evidence-based practices among birth attendants in Latin America, the selective use of episiotomies and active management of the third stage of labor.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

In Latin American countries certain procedures commonly used in obstetrical care (e.g. episiotomy) have been shown to be ineffective or harmful. This study hypothesizes that obstetrical procedures can be changed and new guidelines implemented via peer opinion leader training. It tests an intervention designed to motivate and facilitate health care professionals' development through the implementation and maintenance of simple evidence-based guidelines to increase the use of evidence-based practices by birth attendants at the hospital level in Argentina and Uruguay. The primary outcomes are the use of episiotomies and of oxytocin during the third stage of labor; secondary outcomes include perineal sutures; postpartum hemorrhages; birth attendants' readiness to change status. The sample size was based upon a 10% frequency of oxytocin use and 20% use of episiotomies in the control group. The study hypothesizes a 40% absolute increase in oxytocin use in the intervention group; a 20% absolute reduction in use of episiotomies in the intervention group, calculated at a 0.05 significance level with 80% power.

Following baseline data collections in 24 hospitals, 19 hospitals met inclusion criteria in three urban districts of Argentina and Uruguay and were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. Baseline data collection has been completed with a total of 6597 single vaginal spontaneous births. The 19 hospitals met inclusion criteria with a rate of active management of third stage of labor under 25% and an episiotomy rate in spontaneous vaginal deliveries above 20%. Opinion leaders in the intervention hospitals have been identified and trained to develop evidence-based guidelines that will be diffused by a multifaceted approach including seminars, academic detailing, reminders, and feedback on utilization rates. The hospitals in the nonintervention group will continue with their standard in-service training activities.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

21780

Phase

  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

      • Montevideo, Uruguay
        • Hospital de Clínicas

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria for Hospitals

Hospitals were invited to participate in the study if they fulfill the following criteria:

  • have an Institutional Review Board (IRB), or existing committee which could serve as such, or have an agreement with an IRB which reviews the research protocols implemented in the hospital;
  • have at least 500 vaginal deliveries per year;
  • do not have an explicit policy for selective episiotomy and for active management of third stage of labor;
  • are located within the study area in Argentina and Uruguay; and
  • agree to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria for Hospitals

Preselected hospitals are performing baseline data collection. According to the results of the analysis of the baseline data collection, hospitals will be excluded if the episiotomy rate is low or the rate of active management of the third stage of labor is high, according to the following cut-off points:

  • Episiotomy rate in spontaneous vaginal deliveries below 20%
  • Rate of active management of third stage of labor over 25%

The sample size of the study was increased to allow for exclusions.

Expectant management is defined as "a hands-free policy" during third stage of labor until the placenta is expelled: no use of uterotonics or special maneuvers.

Sampling, Recruitment, and Screening Procedures

Latin American Center for Perinatology (CLAP) coordination team will be responsible for the hospital selection. The hospitals' fulfillment of selection criteria will be obtained through a survey of the Heads of the Obstetrical Departments.

Besides the selection criteria, the coordination unit will invite the hospitals to participate according to:

  • their participation in previous trials coordinated by CLAP,
  • their participation in other trials or research activities, and
  • their location.

Of particular interest are the characteristics of each preselected hospital regarding the structure of the professional staff, number of deliveries, and clinical guidelines policy.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Episiotomies
Oxytocin use in third stage of labor

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Postpartum hemorrhage
Perineal sutures
Birth attendants' readiness to change status

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 2003

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2006

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 7, 2003

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 10, 2003

First Posted (Estimate)

October 13, 2003

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

December 17, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 16, 2013

Last Verified

December 1, 2013

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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