WHO Recommendations on induction of labour
Women may undergo induction of labor (artificially initiated labour) to deliver their babies. Induction of labour is not risk-free and women may find it uncomfortable. WHO has previously published the WHO recommendations for Induction of Labour in 2011. With a view towards promoting the best known clinical practices in labour and childbirth, and improving maternal outcomes worldwide, WHO will update recommendations related to the timing, setting, and methods of induction of labour.
The primary objective of WHO’s recommendations is to provide a foundation for the strategic policy and programme development needed to ensure the sustainable implementation of effective interventions for improving provision and uptake of quality
antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care for all women and newborns. Health professionals and policy-makers responsible for developing national and local protocols and health policies constitute the main target audience of these recommendations.
Women and their families are an additional target audience as users of services related to the induction of labour. The guidance provided is evidence-informed and covers topics that were selected and prioritized by an international, multidisciplinary
group of maternal and newborn health professionals, social scientists, programme implementers and consumers during a scoping meeting held in April 2019.
A Guideline Development Group (GDG) meeting will be held on 21-22 October 2021 to review the updated evidence base on these recommendations. In keeping with the requirements of the WHO Guidelines Review Committee and the WHO Compliance, Risk Management and Ethics Office, we are posting online short biographies of the GDG members. The listed candidates have also submitted a Declaration of Interest form stating any conflict of interests. WHO has applied its internal processes to ensure that the performance of the above tasks by members of this group will be transparent and without any significant conflict of interests (academic, financial, or other) that could affect the credibility of the guideline. Nevertheless, WHO invites the general public to review the experts and stakeholders involved and provide feedback regarding any member deemed to have a significant conflict of interest with respect to the terms of reference for this group. Comments and feedbacks should be cordial and constructive, and sent to srhmph@who.int
NOTE: The GDG members are participating in the meeting on their individual capacity. Affiliations are presented only as a reference. The participation of experts in a WHO meeting does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the WHO nor does it create a binding relationship between the experts and WHO. The biographies have been provided by the experts themselves and are the sole responsibility of the individuals concerned. WHO is not responsible for the accuracy, veracity and completeness of the information provided. In accordance with WHO conflict of interest assessment policy, expert’s biographies are published for transparency purposes. Comments and perceptions are brought to the knowledge of WHO through the public notice and comment process. Comments sent to WHO are treated confidentially and their receipt will be acknowledged through a generic email notification to the sender. Please send any comments to the following email: srhmph@who.int. WHO reserves the right to discuss information received through this process with the relevant expert with no attribution to the provider of such information. Upon review and assessment of the information received through this process, WHO, in its sole discretion, may take appropriate management of conflicts of interests in accordance with its policies.