In 2018, PCMCH reviewed low-volume, rural and remote intrapartum services and completed an analysis of access to safe and high-quality intrapartum care services in lower-volume centres (less than 500 births a year) across Ontario.
The gap analysis used a mixed-methods approach, including:
- An environmental scan
- Interviews with representatives from lower volume intrapartum care sites
- Data collection from the Better Outcomes Registry & Network (BORN) and Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES)
The Gap Analysis demonstrated the following findings:
- Geography is associated with quality and access to care
- Wide variations in models of care, staffing models and human resource strategies
- Knowledge and involvement of regional maternal-child networks
