ArticlePloS one2013
Quality indicators for continuous monitoring to improve maternal and infant health in maternity departments: a modified Delphi survey of an international multidisciplinary panel.
Article in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Detection of obstetric anal sphincter injuries: From the fear of malpractice to a quality indicator of a center.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026Review
- Monitoring childbirth and immediate postpartum care quality: A scoping review of indicators in high-income countries.PloS one · 2026Article
- Effect of delivery hospital busyness on early mortality in small preterm infants: a Finnish population-based cohort study in 2006-2016.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Quality indicators for rural surgical and obstetrical care: A modified Delphi consensus study.PloS one · 2025Article
- A scoping review, mapping, and prioritisation process for emergency obstetric and neonatal quality of care indicators: Focus on provision and experience of care.Journal of global health · 2023Article
- Quality Indicators during Delivery and the Immediate Postpartum Period: A Modified Delphi Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- How can we attain enhanced quality assurance of the mode of birth?European journal of midwifery · 2022Article
- Selecting contextually appropriate performance indicators in a circumpolar context: a modified Delphi approach.BMC health services research · 2021Article
- Improving National Intelligence for Public Health Preparedness: a methodological approach to finding local multi-sector indicators for health security.BMJ global health · 2021Review
- Clinical indicators for common paediatric conditions: Processes, provenance and products of the CareTrack Kids study.PloS one · 2019Article
- Article
- Development of quality indicators for low-risk labor care provided by midwives using a RAND-modified Delphi method.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2017Article
- Quality of Care and Disparities in Obstetrics.Obstetrics and gynecology clinics of North America · 2017Review
- Assessing the performance of maternity care in Europe: a critical exploration of tools and indicators.BMC health services research · 2015Review
- Monitoring the Dutch Solid Start Program: Developing an Indicator Set for Municipalities to Monitor their First Thousand Days-Approach.International journal of integrated careArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveMeasuring the quality of inpatient obstetrical care using quality indicators is becoming increasingly important for both patients and healthcare providers. However, there is no consensus about which measures are optimal. We describe a modified Delphi method to identify a set of indicators for continuously monitoring the quality of maternity care by healthcare professionals. METHODOLOGY AND MAIN
findingsAn international French-speaking multidisciplinary panel comprising 22 obstetricians-gynaecologists, 12 midwives, and 1 paediatrician assessed potential indicators extracted from a medical literature search, using a two-round Delphi procedure followed by a physical meeting. Each panellist rated each indicator based on validity and feasibility. In the first round, 35 panellists from 5 countries and 20 maternity units evaluated 26 indicators including 15 related to the management of the overall population of pregnant women, 3 to the management of women followed from the first trimester of pregnancy, 2 to the management of low-risk pregnant women, and 6 to the management of neonates. 25 quality indicators were kept for next step. In the second round, 27 (27/35: 77%) panellists selected 17 indicators; the remaining 8 indicators were discussed during a physical meeting. The final set comprised 18 indicators.
conclusionA multidisciplinary panel selected indicators that reflect the quality of obstetrical care. This set of indicators could be used to assess and monitor obstetrical care, with the goal of improving the quality of care in maternity units.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.