WHO guidelines can help avoid C-section deliveries: Study

World Health Organisation. Pic/AFP

Implementing the World Health Organizaion's guidelines could help improve women's care during childbirth and reduce unnecessary cesarean section deliveries, a pilot study conducted in India has found. Cesarean sections account for over 1 in 5 childbirths globally, with the numbers set to rise in the coming decade to one-third of all births, according to WHO.

When performed for medical reasons, cesarean sections can be lifesaving and are an essential component of good-quality medical care, but they can also carry inherent risks. The latest study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, is the world's first randomized trial of the WHO's Labor Care Guide (LCG).

The team, including researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Karnataka, conducted the pilot trial in four hospitals in India to evaluate the implementation of the novel LCG strategy, compared with routine care.

The study showed that it was possible to implement the LCG into routine clinical care, including in busy, limited-resource settings, said study lead author Joshua Vogel, a professor at Burnet Institute in Australia.

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