In 2023, Australia recorded 218,099 births, with a rising cesarean section rate, now exceeding 40%. Induction rates and maternal age increased, while the perinatal mortality rate also rose to 11.0 per 1,000. Despite efforts to enhance birth safety, outcomes show concerning trends, necessitating reconsideration of the high rates of intervention.
If you have been hanging around Birth Small Talk for more than a moment, you’ll know I’m very focussed on putting the evidence about fetal heart rate monitoring in front of as many people as possible. And you’ll know that this position puts me at odds with a lot of what most people will hear in mainstream maternity services. So I get some pushback from time to time. And even […]
Recent publications on fetal monitoring highlight the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in interpreting CTG recordings. While advancements promise decision-support systems, rights issues remain. Ploug and colleagues emphasize the need for regulations in AI-driven healthcare to protect people’s rights, urging the integration of these considerations into technology development from the outset.
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