ArticleCureus2023
The Effect of Doulas on Maternal and Birth Outcomes: A Scoping Review.
Article in Cureus, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 42 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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
42 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Doula Care and Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review.JAMA network open · 2026Pooled it
- Can Social Work Interventions Improve Perinatal Mental Health Outcomes? A Systematic Review.Women's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's HealthPooled it
- Maternal Health Community Engagement: Insights from Statewide Maternal Health Listening Sessions in Alabama.Maternal and child health journal · 2026Article
- Virtual Doula Support After the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: Strengths, Limitations, and Adaptations.Women's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health · 2026Article
- Maternal Mental Health and Labor Dysfunction: Prenatal Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Labor Dystocia, and Unplanned Cesarean in a Cohort of Black Pregnant People.Research in nursing & health · 2026Article
- Midwifery Care and Doula Support for Black Women in the United States: A Systematic Review of Maternal, Birth, and Infant Outcomes.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Review
- A challenging little balance: How white doulas with mainstream training understand and engage with anti-oppressive practice.Health (London, England : 1997) · 2026Article
- State Choices, Unequal Access: Policies Shaping Reproductive Health Care Across the United States.The Milbank quarterly · 2026Article
- Judge Me Not: Exploring Black Mothers' Perceptions of Maternal Health Care Services and Structural Racism in South Carolina.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- From Insight to Action: A National Patient-Centered Strategic Framework for Improving Reproductive Health Outcomes in Individuals With Congenital Heart Disease.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2026Article
- Justice denied: reproductive injustices facing Black Queer birthing people in the U.S. healthcare system.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Effect of doula support during labor on perineal and anal sphincter injury in primiparous women.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2026Article
- Association of a self-efficacy theory-driven doula program combined with stage-focused nursing with delivery outcomes: a retrospective study.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
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- Article
- Race-Related Stress as a Driver of Postpartum Depression Among a Sample of Black Mothers.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Machine Learning Approach to Predict Emergency Cesarean Sections Among Nulliparous Women.Cureus · 2025Article
- Exploring the Role of Doulas in Supporting People With Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders.International journal of childbirth · 2025Article
- Utilizing machine learning to predict the risk factors of episiotomy in parturient women.AJOG global reports · 2025Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
A source of support during birth could be the solution to negative outcomes for the mother and her baby. To improve the birthing experience and increase positive birthing outcomes, sources of support during pregnancy should be evaluated and understood. The goal of this review was to synthesize the existing literature on how doulas might improve birth outcomes. This scoping review also aimed to shed light on the positive impact emotional support during childbirth can have on the health and well-being of mother and child. PubMed and EBSCOhost were used to identify articles using the search words with Boolean operators "doulas" AND "labor support" AND "birth outcomes" AND "pregnancy" AND "effects during labor." The eligibility criteria for article selection included primary studies investigating how doulas contributed to birth outcomes. The studies in this review indicated that doula guidance in perinatal care was associated with positive delivery outcomes including reduced cesarean sections, premature deliveries, and length of labor. Moreover, the emotional support provided by doulas was seen to reduce anxiety and stress. Doula support, specifically in low-income women, was shown to improve breastfeeding success, with quicker lactogenesis and continued breastfeeding weeks after childbirth. Doulas can be a great resource for birthing mothers, and consideration should be given to using them more, as they may have a positive impact on the well-being of the mother and child. This study raised questions about the accessibility of doulas and how they may help mitigate health disparities among women from different socioeconomic levels.
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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.