UBC’s Department of Family Practice February Research Rounds

In this presentation on February 9, 2022 at noon PST, Elizabeth Nethery – PhD candidate in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia and Registered Midwife in BC – will present research describing rates of maternal and perinatal birth outcomes for community births and to compare outcomes by planned place of birth (home vs state-licensed, freestanding birth center) in a Washington State birth cohort.

Washington state is among the most integrated states in the US for midwifery and rates of community birth are among the highest in the country. Planned, midwife-attended community birth in Washington State, either at home or a freestanding birth center, uses similar guidelines for transfer of care as in international settings such as British Columbia.

The retrospective cohort study involved 10,609 planned community births from Jan 2015 to June 2020 and reported outcome rates for all delivery and perinatal outcomes. Relative risks was estimated comparing planned home births to planned births at state-licensed birth centers, adjusting for parity and other confounders.

Elizabeth’s dissertation research is on pregnancy weight changes, gestational diabetes and prenatal screening, supervised by Dr. Patricia Janssen. Her current research interests include midwifery care, birth settings, contraception and health services delivery.

For more information and updates for the event, check out the Department of Family Practice Website.