De opkomst van geboortecentra en hun rol in de zorg

Birth centres are a relatively new development in the Netherlands. Home birth is still very common but an increasing number of women prefer the ‘safety’ of a more clinical environment, especially since the publication of and all the media attention about the Euro-Peristat data on perinatal deaths. The Steering Group ‘Pregnancy and Childbirth’ recommended in 2009 more integration in the maternity care in the Netherlands, including the introduction of birth centres with close links to a hospital. Currently about 30 birth centres are operational, of various sizes and philosophies, located inside, alongside or detached from a hospital, with salaried personnel (midwives, maternity care assistants) or independent practitioners, with or without access to medical technology and methods of pain relief, and with various ways of funding. What is lacking is a general view on what a birth centre should be, how it should operate, and which population it should serve. What is also needed is insight into the effects of birth centre care on maternity care outcome variables, insight into cliënts’ and care providers’ experiences with birth centre care and insight into the costs of birth centre care compared to home birth or short-stay hospital birth. Therefore, in a unique cooperation between research institutes, medical facilities, professional organisations and care providers a research program has been developed to evaluate birth centres on aspects as integration of care, quality of care, experiences of cliënts and care providers, economic outcomes and implications for further implementation of birth centres in the Netherlands.