ReviewInternational archives of occupational and environmental health2018
Implementation, mechanisms and effects of maternity protection legislation: a realist narrative review of the literature.
Review in International archives of occupational and environmental health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed.
- Experiences managing pregnant hospital staff members using an active management policy-A qualitative study.PloS one · 2021Trial
- Quality of guidelines for the management and prevention of occupational risks during pregnancy: a systematic quality assessment using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II).Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2026Review
- Infertility Risk and Employment History Among US Women: Findings From National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2014.American journal of industrial medicine · 2026Article
- Policy Analysis of Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Legislation and Regulations: Workplace Protections for Reproductive Health and Fetal Development.New solutions : a journal of environmental and occupational health policy : NS · 2026Article
- Working conditions and reproductive health among healthcare professionals: Insights from a pilot study.European journal of midwifery · 2026Article
- Risk assessment and management of chemical hazards for pregnant workers: a qualitative review of guidance from EU member states.Journal of occupational medicine and toxicology (London, England) · 2025Review
- Use of benefits during pregnancy: a cohort study in four organisations in Spain.BMJ public health · 2025Article
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- A narrative review on factors associated with job interruption during pregnancy.International journal of occupational medicine and environmental health · 2023Review
- Working conditions in low risk nulliparous women in The Netherlands: are legislation and guidelines a guarantee for a healthy working environment? A cohort study.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2022Article
- [Pregnant Physicians in Surgical Specialties - Implementation of the Maternity Protection Act Among Female Physicians in Saxony].Gesundheitswesen (Bundesverband der Arzte des Offentlichen Gesundheitsdienstes (Germany)) · 2021Article
- Evaluation of a blended care programme for caregivers and working pregnant women to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes: an intervention study.Occupational and environmental medicine · 2021Article
- Implementation of maternity protection legislation: Gynecologists' perceptions and practices in French-speaking Switzerland.PloS one · 2020Article
- Protection of pregnant women at work in Switzerland: practices, obstacles and resources. A mixed-methods study protocol.BMJ open · 2018Article
- Pregnancy and working conditions in the hospital sector: a scoping review.Revista brasileira de medicina do trabalho : publicacao oficial da Associacao Nacional de Medicina do Trabalho-ANAMTArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeMost industrialized countries have introduced maternity protection legislation (MPL) to protect the health of pregnant workers and their unborn children from workplace exposure. This review aimed to assess this legislation's level of implementation, barriers and facilitators to it, and its expected or unexpected effects.
methodsA realist narrative review was conducted. Keyword searches of the PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, MIDIRS, Sociological abstracts and Google Scholar electronic databases were performed in March 2018.
resultsThe 42 publications included show that the implementation of MPL is deficient in most countries. Allowing pregnant women to withdraw from work on preventive leave or sick leave is favored over workplace adaptations or worker reassignments. The publications highlight mechanisms which encourage or obstruct the enforcement of legislation at the levels of the individual, the physical and social environment, and the macrosocial context. The delay between the conception and implementation of maternity protection measures appears to be a major barrier to the efficacy of MPL. The literature also suggests that unexpected adverse effects, such as degradation in working relationships or discrimination can obstruct the implementation of protective measures.
conclusionsThis study showed the need for a better implementation of MPL during pregnancy. Further research and recommendations for improvements in MPL should consider the diverse mechanisms and effects of its implementation. Barriers and adverse effects of this implementation do not only ensure a lack of information or awareness about MPL, but are also linked to contradictions between requirements to protect employment and protect pregnancy.
Indexed as
Identifiers
30078156What OpenQuestion holds
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.