Midwives' use of complementary/alternative treatments

Backgroundin recent years, several surveys have suggested that many midwives use some form of complementary/alternative therapy (CAT), often without the knowledge of obstetricians.Objectiveto systematically review all surveys of CAT use by midwives.Search strategysix electronic databases were searched using text terms and MeSH for CAT and midwifery.Selection criteriasurveys were included if they reported quantitative data on the prevalence of CAT use by midwives.Data collection and analysisfull-text articles of all relevant surveys were obtained. Data were extracted according to pre-defined criteria.Main results19 surveys met the inclusion criteria. Most were recent and from the USA. Prevalence data varied but were usually high, often close to 100%. Much use of CATs does not seem to be supported by strong evidence for efficacy.Conclusionmost midwives seem to use CATs. As not all CATs are without risks, the issue should be debated openly.