Reported outcomes for planned caesarean section versus planned vaginal
birth in women aged 18-45: a systematic review
Abstract
Background There is currently no consensus regarding the outcomes and
outcome measures that should be reported in studies assessing planned
mode of birth. Objectives To develop an inventory for reported outcomes
for studies comparing planned caesarean section (CS) and planned vaginal
delivery (VD) for women age 18-45. Search strategy Three online
databases, Ovid SP version of MEDLINE and EMBASE and the Cochrane
Pregnancy and Childbirth Group’s Trials Register, were searched from
2011 to June 2019. Selection criteria The inclusion criteria were:
prospective studies evaluating planned mode of birth, age 18-45,
singleton pregnancy, gestational age 37-40 weeks, >100
participants, middle or high income countries. No language restrictions
were applied. Data collection and analysis Two researchers independently
screened titles and abstracts, and subsequently reviewed the full text
of each selected study to assess for eligibility. Discrepancies were
resolved by discussion with a third author. The selected studies were
evaluated using the MOMENT criteria. Outcomes and outcome measures were
systematically extracted and organised into an inventory. Main results
63 prospective studies including data from 6,397,310 women were
included. Based on the MOMENT score of 4 or more, 37 studies (59%) were
of high quality. In total, 43 different primary outcomes and 79
different primary outcome measures were identified; 12 different
secondary outcomes and 31 secondary outcome measures were identified.
The primary outcome measurements and definitions of outcomes were
inconsistent. Conclusions Prospective studies evaluating outcomes of
planned mode of birth frequently report different primary outcomes and
outcome measures. Funding: None required