Bed rest for at-risk moms-to-be not best

CLEVELAND, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A U.S. nurse researcher is challenging the practice of ordering mothers-to-be at risk of delivering their child prematurely to bed rest.

Judith Maloni, professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, says although some 1 million pregnant women annually are confided to bed for nearly 24 hours a day, there is a lack of evidence about bed rest's effectiveness

"Nurses can challenge best-rest treatment by functioning as advocates for women and educating them about the evidence for bed-rest treatment as well as the risks and benefits, if any, of this practice," Maloni says in a statement.

Hospital stays, she says, deny women the opportunity to rest in the comfort of their homes with the support of their families.

Maloni and colleagues conducted a comprehensive review of more than 70 evidence-based research articles on the advisability of bed rest for mothers or their babies.

The report, published in the special women's health issue of Biological Research for Nursing, points to gaps in the current literature, notes possible physical and emotional impacts on bedridden mothers and concludes more evidence is needed.