Implementation by Skilled Birth Attendants and Effectiveness of WHO Labour Care Guide: A Scoping Review Protocol

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to map and evaluate existing evidence regarding the World Health Organization (WHO) Labour Care Guide (LCG) implementation by skilled birth attendants (SBAs) and its associated impact on labor management quality and maternal and perinatal health outcomes.Introduction: Intrapartum care is critical to maternal and neonatal health, yet persistent challenges in labor monitoring contribute to avoidable complications and mortality. The partograph, historically used to assess labor progress, has faced challenges in implementation and effectiveness. To address these gaps, WHO introduced the LCG as an updated tool to improve intrapartum care. However, there is limited evidence regarding its effectiveness in clinical settings, necessitating a review of available research on its implementation and impact.Inclusion Criteria: This review will include studies that examine the implementation of the WHO LCG by SBAs (midwives, nurse-midwives, and doctors) and its barriers, facilitators, strategies, and associated outcomes. Studies conducted in healthcare settings within low- and middle-income countries will be included, while those from high-income countries and studies focused on other labor monitoring tools will be excluded.Methods: Following JBI guidelines and PRISMA-ScR recommendations, a systematic search will be conducted across PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Eligible studies published in English from 2018 onward will be screened using Covidence. Data extraction and qualitative content analysis will be conducted using the Implementation Research Logic Model framework, with findings presented narratively and through tables and figures.