Peer-reviewed article

The impact of the integrated labor-delivery-recovery-postpartum unit on maternal-neonatal outcomes and psychological experiences among low-risk parturients: a prospective cohort study from a high-volume tertiary center in china.

Hui Zheng, Meihong Zhu, Lili Xu, Lei Zhou, Yun Xu et al. · 22 Jun 2026

Summary

Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001

This study compared an integrated labor-delivery-recovery-postpartum (LDRP) unit model with traditional delivery care for low-risk pregnant women in a Chinese hospital. Women using the LDRP model had shorter labor, lower rates of cesarean delivery and neonatal transfer to intensive care, and reported better psychological experiences. However, the protective effect against postpartum hemorrhage was not statistically significant after adjustment.

Key points

LDRP group had shorter labor duration (7.3 hours vs 9.8 hours)
Cesarean section rates were significantly lower in LDRP group (1.2% vs 4.6%)
Neonatal transfer rates were significantly lower in LDRP group (5.4% vs 16.0%)
Women in LDRP group more frequently reported feeling calm and relaxed (17.7% vs 0.4%)
Postpartum hemorrhage difference between groups was not statistically significant after multivariate adjustment

Limitations

The study included only low-risk, full-term singleton pregnancies at one high-volume tertiary center in China, limiting generalizability to other settings and populations. The propensity score matching and voluntary selection by participants may not fully account for unmeasured confounding.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the integrated labor-delivery-recovery-postpartum (LDRP) model among low-risk parturients at a tertiary hospital in China. METHODS: A total of 542 low-risk, full-term, singleton parturients voluntarily selected either the LDRP or traditional delivery mode. Outcomes between groups were compared using propensity score matching, multivariate regression, Bayesian analysis, and machine learning. RESULTS: The LDRP group had shorter labor duration (7.3 h vs. 9.8 h), and significantly lower cesarean section rates (1.2% vs. 4.6%) and neonatal transfer rates (5.4% vs. 16.0%; all P < 0.05). Postpartum hemorrhage rates were also lower in the LDRP group (1.2% vs. 6.0%), but this difference was not statistically significant after multivariate adjustment (P = 0.235). Women in the LDRP group more frequently reported feeling "calm and relaxed" (17.7% vs. 0.4%) but had higher latent-phase pain scores (2.0 vs. 1.0). Bayesian analysis confirmed that LDRP independently reduced neonatal transfer risk, though its protective effect against postpartum hemorrhage was insufficiently robust. CONCLUSION: The LDRP model effectively shortens labor, reduces cesarean section and neonatal transfer rates, and improves maternal psychological experience. Its independent protective effect on postpartum hemorrhage requires further validation.

Findings the Hub has extracted

Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.

SurvivalDevelopment

Problem

Low-risk pregnant women in traditional delivery settings experience longer labor, higher rates of surgical intervention, neonatal complications requiring transfer, and psychological distress

Intervention: Integrated labor-delivery-recovery-postpartum (LDRP) unit model allowing continuous care in a single room throughout labor, delivery, recovery, and early postpartum period
Population: 542 low-risk, full-term, singleton parturients at a tertiary hospital in China (LDRP group n=not specified, traditional group n=not specified)

Key finding

Labor duration reduced from 9.8 to 7.3 hours (P < 0.05)

Experimental