title: Childbirth education outcomes: an integrative review of the literature.
abstract: The purpose of this literature review was to identify and describe recent empirical studies of childbirth education outcomes and to identify areas for further study. The search produced 63 studies; only 12 met the inclusion criteria. The literature demonstrated inconclusive evidence regarding the effectiveness of childbirth education. None of the studies used a theoretical framework that proposed multiple factors, as opposed to childbirth education alone, that impact the outcomes. Health-focused versus illness-focused outcomes were also addressed.
authors.affiliation: M ary K oehn is a doctoral candidate at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. She is also an assistant professor at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas.
authors.forename: Mary L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Koehn