Fødestedets betydning for forløbet af den ukomplicerede fødsel.

As part of an extensive prospective consecutive investigation of the course of delivery in the Maternity Clinic and Special Department in Glostrup Hospital, the results of the uncomplicated deliveries in both of these institutions are described in this article. Women who were delivered in the Maternity Clinic were, on the whole, a few years older and belonged to higher social groups than those who were delivered in the Special Department. Electronic monitoring was rarely employed in the Maternity Clinic, the parturient women were mobilized to a greater extent, the administration of analgesics was less and early rupture of the membranes was undertaken on fewer occasions. Patients appeared to be more satisfied with the physical surroundings in the Clinic than in the Special Department. It is not possible to isolate any single factor which was responsible for the differences encountered. However, there can scarcely be any doubt that the physical surroundings and the environment in the Maternity Clinic exerted a positive influence on the course of the delivery. The arrangements in the Maternity Clinic have probably also permitted the midwives to give the individual women more personal attention than is normally possible in a busy Special Department. Finally, differences in attitudes and knowledge in the parturient women may well have contributed to the differences encountered. Only randomized controlled investigations will be capable of revealing the roles played by the individual factors in the course of delivery.