The AOM’s Excellence in Midwifery Research Award recognizes research that advances excellence in midwifery care. The award is presented to the author(s) of the research paper selected for the award. 

This year’s award goes to:

Labour Outcomes After Successful External Cephalic Version Compared With Spontaneous Cephalic Version by Samantha Krueger, Julia Simioni, Lauren Griffith and Eileen Hutton.

This study compared obstetrical outcomes for pregnant people with a cephalic presentation at birth resulting from successful external cephalic version with those resulting from spontaneous cephalic version. The authors found no differences after ECV compared with SCV in the incidence of CS, instrumental birth or normal vaginal birth.

This is an important paper for midwifery clinical practice because it reports for the first time on comparisons between birth outcomes of breech pregnancies that convert to cephalic presentation by means of SCV with birth outcomes of breech pregnancies that have ECV.  It shows that pregnant persons with a cephalic-presenting fetus at birth as a result of successful ECV are not at a greater risk of obstetrical interventions at birth when compared with those whose fetuses turn spontaneously to a cephalic presentation in the third trimester.  This is important information for people making decisions about the management of breech pregnancy.