Access to Birth Companions

Rationale for Compliance	Evidence Grade
No evidence of medical harm found for:		NEH
• unrestricted access by mother to birth companions
• access of mother to companions of her choice
• fathers at birth
• partners at birth
• children at birth
• family members at birth
• friends at birth
Mothers reported less satisfaction with birth support when the support provider was a nurse or a doctor compared with a partner or doula (trained or experienced woman who provides continuous labor support) (DeClercq, 2002).	Quality:	A
	Quantity:	B
	Consistency:	NA*
The perception of support during labor is a key ingredient in a woman's ultimate satisfaction with her birth experience (Hodnett, 2002).	Quality:	A
	Quantity:	A
	Consistency:	A**
The perception of support during labor is more important in determining a woman's satisfaction with her birth experience than her experience of pain or her satisfaction with methods of pain relief (Hodnett, 2002).	Quality:	A
	Quantity:	A
	Consistency:	A**

A = good, B = fair, NA = not applicable, NEH = no evidence of harm

Quality = aggregate of quality ratings for individual studies

Quantity = magnitude of effect, numbers of studies, and sample size or power

Consistency = the extent to which similar findings are reported using similar and different study designs

^*only one study

^**multiple studies in systematic review (SR)