Skip to main content

Table 1 Definition of skilled birth attendant and skilled birth attendance

From: Systematic review on human resources for health interventions to improve maternal health outcomes: evidence from low- and middle-income countries

Skilled birth attendant

Skilled birth attendance

A joint WHO/ICM/FIGO statement, endorsed by UNFPA and the World Bank defines a skilled attendant as “an accredited health professional, such as a midwife, doctor or nurse, who has been educated and trained to proficiency in the skills needed to manage normal (uncomplicated) pregnancies, childbirth and the immediate postnatal period, and in the identification, management and referral of complications in women and newborns” [79].

Skilled attendance is the process by which a pregnant woman and her infant are provided with adequate care during pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum and immediate newborn periods, whether the place of delivery is the home, health center, or hospital. In order for this process to take place, the attendant must have the necessary skills and must be supported by an enabling environment at various levels of the health system, including a supportive policy and regulatory framework; adequate supplies, equipment, and infrastructure; and an efficient and effective system of communication and referral/transport [80, 81].

  1. Source: DFID 2005 [82]