Rocking the Cradle - A Report into Childbirth Procedures

December 1999

© Commonwealth of Australia 1999

ISBN 0 642 71042 2

Terms of reference
Conduct of the inquiry
Acknowledgments
Consultancy

The nature and content of antenatal care
Range and provision of services
Access to antenatal care
Antenatal information and education
Antenatal Education Classes

Scope of antenatal screening
Ultrasound scanning
Nuchal fold test
Maternal serum screening (MSS)
Amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS)

The birth setting
Birth in a hospital delivery suite
Birth in an ‘alternative’ birthing centre
Home birth
Birth in rural and remote locations
Birth in rural and remote areas for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women

Comparative Caesarean section rates
Reasons for growth in rates of Caesarean section
What is the optimal rate for Caesarean section?
The Committee’s conclusions

Induction
Augmentation of labour
Epidural anaesthesia
Forceps delivery
Vacuum extraction
Episiotomy
Interventions in childbirth – conclusions

The current position
The need for best practice guidelines
The development of best practice guidelines
The implementation of best practice guidelines

Length of hospital stay and early discharge
The rationale for early discharge
The pattern of early discharge care
The advantages of early discharge
Concerns about early discharge
Conclusion

Fragmentation and cost shifting
The impact of casemix funding
The inverse care law
Funding inequities between antenatal, intrapartum and post natal care
The impact of the new Medicare rebate
Qualified and unqualified neonates

Introduction
Publicly available data on litigation
The MDO Industry
MDO subscription increases
Is there a ‘litigation crisis’ in obstetrics?
The way forward