Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jul;67(4):510-514.
doi: 10.1111/jmwh.13377. Epub 2022 May 26.

Choosing a Birth Setting: A Shared Decision-Making Approach

Erin K George  1 , Stephanie Mitchell  2 , Dawn Stacey  3
Affiliations

Choosing a Birth Setting: A Shared Decision-Making Approach

Erin K George et al. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Perinatal outcomes vary widely depending on individual birth settings (birth center, home, and hospital). The purpose of this case study is to explore a patient-centered, shared decision-making approach to achieve an informed, values-based choice about birth settings. Engaging in a shared decision-making approach regarding birth setting options would support people to have the information and ability to judge for themselves how benefits and risks across birth center, home, and hospital settings would best fit with their values and personal health. A patient decision aid about birth setting options could facilitate increased equity regarding access to birth settings that offer improved perinatal health outcomes, helping to reduce perinatal health disparities in the United States.

Keywords: birth centers; birth setting; home birth; hospital birth; patient decision aid; patient-centered care; perinatal care; shared decision-making.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. US Preventive Services Task Force; Davidson KW, Barry MJ, Mangione CM, et al. Aspirin use to prevent preeclampsia and related morbidity and mortality: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA. 2021;326(12):1186-1191. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.14781
    1. Megregian M, Emeis C, Nieuwenhuijze M. The impact of shared decision-making in perinatal care: a scoping review. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2020;65(6):777-788. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmwh.13128
    1. Your options. Childbirth Connection. Accessed 4/4/2022. http://www.childbirthconnection.org/healthy-pregnancy/choosing-a-place-o...
    1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Scrimshaw SC, Backes EP, eds. Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice. National Academies Press; 2020. https://doi.org/10.17226/25636
    1. Hoyert DL, Miniño AM. Maternal mortality in the United States: changes in coding, publication, and data release, 2018. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2020;69(2):1-18.

LinkOut - more resources