Title: Application of a physiotherapy protocol to women during the active phase of labour improves obstetric outcomes: a randomized clinical trial.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a non-pharmacological childbirth care protocol in women in the active phase of labour in improving obstetric and perinatal outcomes. Design: Randomized trial with concealed allocation, assessor blinding, and intention-to-treat analysis. Setting: Reference Centre of Women’s Health of Ribeirão Preto–MATER, São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: Eighty low-risk primiparous women at the end of pregnancy and beginning of the active phase of labour were randomized to experimental group (EG) (n=40) or control group (CG) (n=40). Women in EG received four interventions: ambulation at 4 to 6 cm of cervical dilation; alternative maternal positions associated with TENS at 6 to 7 cm, and a warm shower bath at >7 cm. The CG received only routine obstetric. Main outcome measures: The length of the active phase of labour, the expulsive phase duration, and the prevalence of labour dystocia assessed by the partograph. Results: The parturients who received the sequential non-pharmacological protocol had a shorter length of the active phase of labour (CG=444 minutes; EG=373 minutes; p=0,02), presented rupture of membranes later in labour (CG=7cm; EG=8cm; p<0,01), requested pharmacological analgesia with more significant cervical dilatation (CG=5cm; EG=8cm; p<0,01) and had lower labour dystocia rates than the patients in the CG. Conclusion: The implementation of a sequential non-pharmacological protocol has the potential in decreased and delayed use of pharmacological analgesia, duration of the active phase of labour and dystocia rates. Keywords: length of labour, labour pain, dystocia, randomized controlled trial, non-pharmacological resources, pharmacological analgesia. Trial registration: NCT01601860 Link: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01601860