Birthing Center

A birthing center1 is a facility, alternative to the traditional hospital setting, for healthy pregnant women to give[Page 45] birth in. Birthing centers provide women with a comfortable health care environment that maintains patient safety, and skilled medical attention, at a reduced cost to the patient, in a more homelike, family-centered environment than is available in a hospital. The birthing center is geared to appeal to women who have had uneventful past deliveries. They are designed about a wellness model for pregnancy and delivery.

In a article in the New England Journal of Medicine2, study outcomes for 11,814 women at 84 freestanding birthing centers were reported. The women had lower-than-average risk of a poor outcome. In addition, cesarean section delivery was less common at birthing centers than for similar low-risk pregnancies at hospitals. The study concluded “that birth centers offer a safe and acceptable alternative to hospital confinement for selected pregnant women, particularly those who have previously had children, and that such care leads to relatively few cesarean sections.” Nearly 100% of the women who used the center said they would recommend this alternative to friends and would be happy to return to the center again themselves.

Quality is monitored in states that have licensed, accredited birthing centers, and birthing centers demonstrate outcome data similar to hospital facilities. To maintain quality, surveys are required. National standards were established in 1985, and 37 states currently license birthing centers to ensure patient safety and quality.

The creation of birthing centers provides women with a place to deliver at a reduced cost while maintaining patient safety. In rural areas, these centers offer women care that otherwise would necessitate excessive travel. At a birthing center, families can experience childbirth in a more relaxed environment. Programs are even extended to include grandparents. Hospitals are also responding to the need to create a more family-friendly atmosphere by creating birthing rooms and recognizing the role of the nurse midwife for selected women.

Cost-effective operation is achieved by eliminating hospital overhead, reduced requirements for expensive equipment and technology (“high touch” rather than “high tech”), and lower personnel requirements, including staffing only when women are in labor. Improved patient and family satisfaction is achieved through the more personal, family-centered atmosphere. In addition to the delivered babies, these centers may also provide laboratory services, education, home visits, and initial newborn evaluations.

Staffing of birthing centers is only available when an actual admission occurs. Technologically advanced equipment is not available at the birthing center. By initiating a self-help method of treatment, the center also saves on staffing.