What would it take for this GP to attend a homebirth?
With a large population study published in BMJ Open hitting the news recently, conversations are being held about the utility and safety of homebirths in Australia.1
The authors found that ‘normal’ vaginal birth was higher in homebirths and birth centres compared with hospital settings. Many arguments were levelled at the study and inferences drawn.
First, it wasn’t a randomised controlled trial. Many high-risk women are not allowed to homebirth in Australia, skewing results.
Second, the neonatal death rate absolute risk increase with homebirth was statistically not significant, but a 30-40% increase in relative risk for a devastating outcome cannot be ignored.
