Table 5 What this study adds
What is already known on this subject |
|---|
A gap between evidence and practice in managing normal labour is common in many countries. |
Practice change is often influenced by opinion leaders. |
What this study adds |
In some hospitals in Shanghai there is a substantive gap between best practice derived from reliable evidence and actual practice. |
Over four years (1999–2003), obstetric practice in these hospitals became more evidence-informed, with substantive changes in some routine procedures. |
Change towards evidence-informed practice was mainly influenced by the hospital director; change away from evidence-based practice was the result of legislation about medical accidents. |
Regional seminars about best practice seemed to have had little direct influence on change. |