Key Points for Considering Adoption of the WHO Labour Care Guide: Policy Brief

The brief provides an overview of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Labour Care Guide (LCG) and its advantages over the traditional partograph used for labour monitoring. The WHO LCG is a tool that facilitates the implementation of the 2018 WHO intrapartum care recommendations for a positive childbirth experience. It incorporates evidence-based practices and focuses on individualized care, ensuring a positive childbirth experience for women, newborns, and their families. The LCG has seven sections, which include identifying information and labour characteristics at admission, supportive care, well-being of the baby, well-being of the woman, labour progress, medication, and shared decision-making. The brief highlights the advantages of the WHO LCG over the traditional partograph, including improved respectful care during labour and childbirth, improved labour support and care, more accurate assessment of fetal well-being, more accurate assessment of labour progress, timelier and evidence-based interventions, documentation of care during the second stage, and greater accountability. The brief also discusses the training and enabling environment required for the effective use of the LCG, including the necessary initial and ongoing training, supportive supervision, and strategies to promote an enabling environment for providers to use the LCG efficiently. Finally, the brief provides implementation considerations, including the need for leadership and engagement of key actors across the health system, reorganization of care, and monitoring and evaluation of the introduction of the LCG. Overall, the brief aims to provide maternal and newborn health stakeholders and decision-makers with an overview of the WHO LCG and its guiding principles, key advantages, and what is required to ensure an enabling environment that will facilitate a sustainable introduction of the WHO LCG.