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Table 2 Primary and secondary outcome measures

From: Reducing unnecessary caesarean sections: scoping review of financial and regulatory interventions

Primary outcomes

Rate of caesarean section and rate of all other modes of delivery (spontaneous vaginal birth, caesarean section before labour, emergency caesarean section, instrumental vaginal birth)

Secondary outcomes

•Perineal/vaginal trauma (including 2nd, 3rd, or 4th degree perineal tears, obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS), vaginal tears, episiotomy, perineal suturing, postpartum perineal pain)

•Birth trauma (fractured skull, haematoma, cerebral haemorrhage, fractured clavicle, facial paralysis, brachial plexus injury, scalp injury, facial skin lesions, retinal haemorrhage)

•Perinatal asphyxia (low Apgar score at 5 min, cord blood acidosis, needed major resuscitation (respiratory support, intubation at birth), hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy)

•Maternal birth experience (including maternal satisfaction with care, women’s mental and psychological health assessment, rating of birth experience, or as defined by study authors)

•Maternal morbidity (including febrile morbidity, peripartum infection, wound complication, post-partum hemorrhage, or as defined by authors)

•Long-term infant outcomes (breastfeeding, childhood disability, mother-infant bonding/separation)

•Serious maternal morbidity (including organ failure, obstetric hysterectomy, sepsis, severe obstetric haemorrhage (antepartum or postpartum), uterine rupture, admission to intensive care or as defined by trial authors)

•Long-term maternal outcomes (including urinary or faecal incontinence, obstetric fistula, utero-vaginal prolapse)

•Health care resource utilization (length of hospital stay, maternal readmission/ rehospitalisation, readmission/ rehospitalisation in neonatal period (up to 28 days), cost of care, referral for higher level care)