ArticleAJOG global reports2026
World Health Organization Labor Care Guide: scientific rationale, global adoption, and early policy implementation in the Republic of Moldova.
Article in AJOG global reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The traditional World Health Organization (WHO) partograph has been used globally for decades as a standard tool for intrapartum labor monitoring. However, accumulating evidence has challenged its underlying assumptions, particularly the use of rigid cervical dilatation thresholds, and highlighted the need for a more individualized and woman-centered approach to childbirth care. In response, the WHO introduced the Labor Care Guide (LCG) in 2020, aligned with the 2018 WHO recommendations on intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience. This narrative review aims to examine the scientific rationale, global implementation experience, and policy implications of the WHO LCG, with a particular focus on its relevance and application in the Republic of Moldova. A narrative review of peer-reviewed literature, WHO normative documents, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics position statements, and international implementation studies was conducted. National policy documents and clinical guidelines from the Republic of Moldova were analyzed to contextualize local adoption. International evidence demonstrates that the WHO LCG supports individualized labor monitoring, reduces unnecessary obstetric interventions, and promotes respectful, woman-centered care without compromising maternal or neonatal safety. In 2025, the Republic of Moldova approved a new national guideline on intrapartum care, aligned with WHO principles and the conceptual framework of the LCG. This policy shift reflects a strategic effort to improve the quality of intrapartum care and address ongoing challenges in maternal health outcomes. The transition from the classical WHO partograph to the principles underpinning the WHO LCG represents a significant evolution in intrapartum care. The Republic of Moldova's experience illustrates how countries with a long tradition of structured labor monitoring can adopt WHO-aligned, woman-centered approaches through national policy reform. Ongoing evaluation of implementation, including assessment of healthcare providers' preparedness and perceptions, will be essential to ensure sustainable integration and to maximize potential benefits for maternal and neonatal health.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What 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.