Exploring concepts and definitions of plateaus during normal labor and birth: A scoping review protocol
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
JBI Evidence Synthesis
Volume
19
Issue
3
First Page
644
Last Page
651
PubMed ID
33186295
Publisher
Wolters Kluwer
School
School of Nursing and Midwifery
RAS ID
39697
Funders
Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: In this scoping review, contemporary concepts and definitions of phenomena during normal labor and birth, wherein the process appears to plateau (slow, stall, or pause) but remains within physiological limits, will be mapped. INTRODUCTION: During labor and birth, it is frequently perceived as pathological if contractions, cervical dilation, or fetal descent plateau. However, there is evidence to suggest that some plateaus during labor may be physiological, and a variety of concepts and terms refer to this phenomenon. Where a physiological plateau is perceived as pathological arrest, this may contribute to undue interventions, such as augmentation of labor. Therefore, it is important to advance understanding of physiological labor patterns, including potentially physiological labor plateaus. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Publications mentioning any plateaus of the processes of normal human labor and birth will be considered. This may also include phenomena where labor is perceived to "reverse," for example, a closing cervix or a rise of the presenting fetal part. Publications where plateaus are defined as pathological will be excluded. METHODS: All types of evidence, published and unpublished, will be considered. The search strategy will be applied to the databases MEDLINE, Embase, MIDIRS, Emcare, CINAHL, and Scopus, and will be limited to the past 30 years. Gray literature will be searched via Open Grey, reference list screening, and contacting authors. Data extraction will comprise information on concept boundaries, terminology, precedents, consequences, concept origin, and types of evidence that report this phenomenon. Results will be presented in tabular, diagrammatical, and narrative manner.
DOI
10.11124/JBIES-20-00105
Access Rights
free_to_read
Comments
Weckend, M. J., Bayes, S., & Davison, C. (2021). Exploring concepts and definitions of plateaus during normal labor and birth: A scoping review protocol. JBI Evidence Synthesis, 19(3), 644-651. https://doi.org/10.11124/JBIES-20-00105