Labor and childbirth care for women deprived of liberty: a scoping review.
Tatyanne Maria Pereira de Oliveira, Joel Araújo Dos Santos, Priscila de Souza Aquino and 1 others
PMID 39303703WHAT IT FOUND
In the included studies, imprisoned women described childbirth marked by restraints, no chosen companion, poor privacy, verbal or physical violence, and little early contact with their baby.
Key findings
0115 studies were included after 995 records were identified.
02Restraints were reported during transport, labour, childbirth and recovery.
03Women reported no freely chosen companion, poor privacy, delays, violence, minimal early mother-baby contact, and re-shackling after birth.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
This is a scoping review, so it did not critically appraise the quality of the evidence it mapped. The included studies used different designs, settings, countries and legal rules, which limits direct comparison. Most included studies were qualitative, so they describe experiences and practices but do not show what improves care. Institutional dynamics in prisons may have restricted a more comprehensive analysis.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict-of-interest declaration is given in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that restraints are required for safe care. The review reports them as common, including where prohibited, and links them to trauma and poor care.