Browsing by Author "Lorthe, Elsa"
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- Obstetric interventions among native and migrant women: a survey of episiotomy in PortugalPublication . Lorthe, Elsa; Teixeira, Cristina; Rodrigues, Teresa; Barros, HenriqueIt is unclear whether migrant women experience worse pregnancy outcomes than native women. A better comprehension of obstetric care provision, including controversial interventions such as episiotomy, is important to improve equity of service provision, overall maternal and neonatal health and to support evidence-informed perinatal health policy-making. We aimed to determine if migrant and native women giving birth vaginally have different risks of episiotomy and if the risk differs by migrant sub-groups. Methods: This study is based on a cross-sectional survey of foreign-born women with a random sample of native women, implemented in 32 public maternity units in mainland Portugal. We included 3583 women with vaginal delivery. Migrant status was defined by the woman’s country of birth (migrants, born abroad, vs natives, born in Portugal), then as subgroups of migrants from Brasil, Portuguese-speaking African countries (PSAC) and non Portuguese-speaking countries vs natives. The association between migrant status and episiotomy was assessed using multilevel logistic regression models, stratified by delivery mode, and adjusted for main risk factors of episiotomy. Results: The overall frequencies of episiotomy were 52.6% and 48.2% among the 1707 natives and the 1876 migrants, respectively (p = 0.01). With spontaneous delivery, migrant women had decreased odds of having an episiotomy (adjusted OR 0.70 [95% CI 0.58-0.83]), especially those from PSAC (aOR 0.57 [0.46-0.71]). However, with instrumental delivery, migrant women had increased odds of episiotomy (aOR 2.47 [95% CI 1.50-4.07]), especially those from Brasil (aOR 3.24 [1.18-8.92]) and non Portuguese-speaking countries (aOR 3.75 [1.827.71]). Conclusions: These results suggest non-medically justified differential care during childbirth and highlight the importance of developing evidence-based recommendations for episiotomy use, in a country with a high frequency of medical intervention during delivery. Key messages: Portugal displays a high frequency of medical interventions during delivery, including episiotomy, highlighting the need for developing evidence-based recommendations. Migrant and native women have different risks of episiotomy, suggesting non-medically justified differential care
- Obstetric interventions among native and migrant women: the (over)use of episiotomy in PortugalPublication . Lorthe, Elsa; Severo, Milton; Hamwi, Sousan; Rodrigues, Teresa; Teixeira, Cristina; Barros, HenriqueEpisiotomy, defined as the incision of the perineum to enlarge the vaginal opening during childbirth, is one of the most commonly performed surgical interventions in the world. We aimed to determine if migrant status is associated with episiotomy, and if individual characteristics mediate this association.Methods: We analyzed data from the Bambino study, a national, prospective cohort of migrant and native women giving birth at a public hospital in mainland Portugal between 2017 and 2019. We included all women with vaginal delivery. The association between migrant status and episiotomy was assessed using multivariable multilevel random-effect logistic regression models. We used path analysis to quantify the direct, indirect and total effects of migrant status on episiotomy.Results: Among 3,583 women with spontaneous delivery, migrant parturients had decreased odds of episiotomy, especially those born in Africa, compared to native Portuguese women. Conversely, with instrumental delivery, migrant women had higher odds of episiotomy. Disparities in episiotomy were largely explained by maternity units' factors, and little by maternal and fetal characteristics.Conclusion: Our results suggest non-medically justified differential episiotomy use during childbirth and highlight the importance of developing evidence-based recommendations for episiotomy use in a country with a high frequency of medical interventions during delivery.
- Time trends in episiotomy and severe perineal tears in Portugal: a nationwide register-based studyPublication . Teixeira, Cristina; Lorthe, Elsa; Barros, HenriqueRates of episiotomy and severe perineal tears (SPT) are indicators of the quality of obstetric care. Time-trends in the reported occurrence of episiotomy and SPT can contribute to understand both, changes in care and in the frequency of risk factors. Therefore, we aimed to estimate time trends in the frequency of SPT in Portugal and its relationship with episiotomy. Methods: We conducted a nationwide register-based study using data from the national inpatient database of all Portuguese public hospitals between 2000 and 2015. Time-trend analysis using joinpoint regression models was performed to identify trends (joinpoints) and compare time changes in the prevalence of SPT and risk factors expressed as annual percentage changes (APC) with 95% Confdence Intervals (95% CI). Poisson regression models were ftted to estimate whether time-trends in SPT rates were explained by changes in risk factors and to assess the association between episiotomy and SPT. Adjusted relative risk (aRR) and their respective 95% CI were obtained. Results: From 908,999 singleton vaginal deliveries, 20.6% were instrumental deliveries, 76.7% with episiotomy and 0.56% were complicated by SPT. Among women with non-instrumental deliveries and no episiotomy SPT decreased from 2009 onwards (1.3% to 0.7%), whereas SPT kept increasing in women with episiotomy for both non-instrumental (0.1% in 2000 to 0.4% in 2015) and instrumental deliveries (0.7% in 2005 to 2.3% in 2015). Time-trends in potential risk factors did not explain the observed increase in SPT. Episiotomy was associated with a decrease in SPT with adjusted RR varying between 2000 and 2015 from 0.18 (95%CI:0.13–0.25) to 0.59 (95%CI:0.44–0.79) for non-instrumental deliv eries and from 0.45 (95%CI:0.25–0.81) to 0.50 (95%CI:0.40–0.72) for instrumental deliveries. Conclusions: Our fndings suggest that episiotomy rate could safely further decrease as the main factor driving SPT rates seems to be an increase in awareness and reporting of SPT particularly among women who underwent an episiotomy