Effects of Iranian guidelines on primiparous women’s childbirth experience: a randomized controlled trial

Background. Currently, birth experience is considered an indicator for evaluating the quality of care provided during labor and birth. This study examined the effect of the Iranian positive birth experience guideline on the birth experience of primiparous women. Methods. This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted at Taleghani Hospital, Tabriz, Iran (2019). Thirty pregnant women admitted to labor after checking the eligibility criteria were randomly assigned to intervention (developed guidelines) and control (routine hospital care) groups. Women’s birth experience was evaluated 24 hours postpartum using the Childbirth Experience Questionnaire (CEQ 2.0). An independent sample t-test was employed to compare the average scores between the groups. Results. The mean (standard deviation) of the total score of birth experience in the intervention and control groups was 3.0 (0.4) and 2.1 (0.5), respectively. The average score of the childbirth experience in the intervention group was significantly greater than that of the control group [Mean difference: 0.9; 95% confidence interval: 0.5–1.2; P < 0.001]. Conclusion. The Iranian guideline for improving birth experiences was able to improve primiparous women’s birth experiences more effectively than routine care. Practical Implications. The findings of this study can be considered in the policies and management of healthcare centers.