Role of doulas across the pregnancy care continuum on maternal and child health: a scoping review

Modern maternity care lacks sufficient labor support, with nurses dedicating only 6-10% of their time to labor assistance, far below the 53% mothers expect. Given the need for continuous support, doula-trained non-clinical birth workers have gained prevalence. This scoping review examines the impact of doulas across the pregnancy care continuum, including prenatal, pregnancy, and postpartum phases. A systematic search across PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Review, and Cochrane Central identified peer-reviewed articles (2000-2023) using Boolean search terms. A total of 23 studies met the inclusion criteria. Findings suggest that doula support improves delivery outcomes by reducing cesarean rates, preterm births, labor duration, and pain, while enhancing breastfeeding initiation. One study reported longer hospital stays, but overall, doulas appeared to lower mothers’ stress and anxiety. Expanding doula access may improve maternal and child health outcomes. Future research should explore policy integration and behavior change impacts to support evidence-based maternal healthcare.