Parliament of Australia: Senate: Committees: Community Affairs: Childbirth Procedures

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Rocking the Cradle - A Report into Childbirth Procedures

December 1999

ISBN 0 642 71042 2

View the report as a single document - (PDF 1320KB)

View the report as separate downloadable parts:


Membership of Committee	(PDF 8KB)

Overview and Recommendations	(PDF 48KB)

Chapter 1- Introduction	(PDF 16KB)
Terms of reference Conduct of the inquiry Acknowledgments Consultancy

Chapter 2: Antenatal Care	(PDF 120KB)
The nature and content of antenatal care Range and provision of services Access to antenatal care Antenatal information and education Antenatal Education Classes

Chapter 3: Antenatal Screening Services	(PDF 62KB)
Scope of antenatal screening Ultrasound scanning Nuchal fold test Maternal serum screening (MSS) Amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS)

Chapter 4: Care During Birth	(PDF 111KB)
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

Chapter 5: Interventions in Childbirth – Caesarean Section	(PDF 276KB)
Comparative Caesarean section rates Reasons for growth in rates of Caesarean section What is the optimal rate for Caesarean section? The Committee’s conclusions

Chapter 6: Other Interventions in Childbirth	(PDF 152KB)
Induction Augmentation of labour Epidural anaesthesia Forceps delivery Vacuum extraction Episiotomy Interventions in childbirth – conclusions

Chapter 7: Best Practice Guidelines for Antenatal Care and for Care During Birth	(PDF 175KB)
The current position The need for best practice guidelines The development of best practice guidelines The implementation of best practice guidelines

Chapter 8: Post Natal Care	(PDF 81KB)
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

Chapter 9: Funding Issues	(PDF 62KB)
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

Chapter 10: Litigation and Obstetric Practice and Provision	(PDF 68KB)
Introduction Publicly available data on litigation The MDO Industry MDO subscription increases Is there a ‘litigation crisis’ in obstetrics? The way forward

Minority Report by Government Senators	(PDF 175KB)


Appendix 1 - Organisations and Individuals who Presented Written Public Submissions and Supplementary Information to the Committee	(PDF 32KB)


Appendix 2 - Witnesses who appeared before the Committee at Public Hearings	(PDF 21KB)


Appendix 3 - Maternal Mortality – international comparisons	(PDF 9KB)


Appendix 4 - Infant Mortality – international comparisons	(PDF 9KB)


Bibliography	(PDF 23KB)

For further information, contact:

Committee Secretary
Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia

Phone: +61 2 6277 3515

Fax: +61 2 6277 5829

Email: community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au

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