Administration of oxytocin during spontaneous labour: A national vignette-based study among midwives.

OBJECTIVE: (1) to assess variations in oxytocin use by midwives during spontaneous labour (indication, dose, moment), and (2) to identify factors potentially associated with oxytocin administration.

DESIGN: descriptive cross-sectional study using a case-vignette and questionnaire among French midwives from November 2015 to May 2016.

METHODS: Midwives were asked to complete an online survey including a case-vignette with hourly partograms of a slowly progressing labour, and a short self-administered questionnaire. Two choices were proposed with each hourly partogram: administration of oxytocin or expectant management. Midwives who selected oxytocin were then asked about the dose, dose-increment and dose-increase delay. The questionnaire asked the midwives about work experience, day or night work, and organisational factors.

FINDINGS: The study included 204 midwives. At some point during the case-vignette, 159 (77.9%) midwives responded that they would use oxytocin. Answers demonstrated variations in oxytocin administration for initial doses, dose-increments and dose-increase delays. Specifically, a substantial majority of respondents chose high doses of oxytocin (64.1% at doses exceeding 2 mIU/min) and short dose-increase delays (62.9% under 30 min). Excessive administration of oxytocin by midwives was significantly associated with the number of births per year in their maternity unit, midwives' workload (p < 0.001), overload of delivery rooms (p < 0.001) and lack of protocol (22% versus 55.6%, p < 0.001). Midwives considered that their use of oxytocin was related mainly to an overburdened department (48.5%).

KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: We observed overuse of oxytocin, influenced by organisational factors. Every maternity unit should implement a protocol and/or checklist for oxytocin administration to reduce variation in practice and improve safety of care by using evidence-based clinical indications, initial doses, dose-increments and dose-increase delays. Modifying the organisation of care appears necessary to reduce hospital patient volume or increase staffing to ensure that the number of midwives on duty matches the activity in the delivery room without causing excess work or stress to midwives.