How do midwives facilitate women to give birth during physiological second stage of labour? A protocol for a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Midwives' practices during the second stage of labour vary nationally and internationally. We aim to retrieve evidence that supports high-quality intrapartum care by conducting a systematic review of the literature.

METHODS: Electronic bibliographic databases including PubMed, EMBASE.com , Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycINFO, Maternity and Infant Care Database (through MIDIRS), and The Cochrane Library will be searched to identify studies that meet the inclusion criteria. No language or publication date constraints will be applied. Articles that pass the two-stage screening process will then be assessed for risk of bias and have their reference lists hand searched.

DISCUSSION: A midwife's practice can be influenced by education and cultural practices but ultimately it should be informed by up-to-date research evidence. By analysing and synthesising the results of the studies, this systematic review will provide valuable insight into high-quality evidence-based midwifery care, which can inform practice, education and future research.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42018088300.