Information and Healthcare professionals' perceptions of the midwife-led model in Italy

Last registered on October 07, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Information and Healthcare professionals' perceptions of the midwife-led model in Italy
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019862
Initial registration date
October 02, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
October 07, 2026, 10:41 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
Italy
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
KUDZAI SANDRA MHISHI
Affiliation
UNIVERSITY OF INSUBRIA
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
ANNA CECILIA ROSSO
PI Affiliation
UNIVERSITY OF MILAN
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2025-02-16
End date
2025-06-30
Keywords
Behavior, Health, Welfare
Additional Keywords
maternity care, midwife-led care, healthcare professionals, information provision, caesarean section, survey experiment
JEL code(s)
I12, D83, C93
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study examines whether information provision affects healthcare professionals' perceptions of midwife-led models in Italy. In a survey experiment, 480 healthcare professionals were randomly assigned to one of five arms: four treatments and a control group that received no information. The treatments vary the statistical level of the information (national vs. regional C-section rates) and the framing of the information (C-section risk vs. benefits of the midwife-led model). The experiment measures professionals' perceptions of C-section use, the midwife-led model's potential to reduce unnecessary caesarean sections, perceived drivers of maternity care organisation, and views on evidence and policy.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
MHISHI, KUDZAI SANDRA and ANNA CECILIA ROSSO. 2026. "Information and Healthcare professionals' perceptions of the midwife-led model in Italy." AEA RCT Registry. October 07. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19862-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Participants were randomly assigned to one of five experimental arms.
The control group received no informational vignette. The four treatment groups received vignettes with the following treatment conditions: (1) national CS statistics with information on C-section risks; (2) regional CS statistics with the same C- section risk framing; (3) national CS statistics with information emphasising the benefits of midwife-led model; and (4) regional CS statistics with the same midwife-led model benefit framing. Participants answered the outcome questions after exposure to their assigned vignette.
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2025-02-16
Intervention End Date
2025-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The outcome variables are organised into three conceptual domains: (i) perceptions of pregnancy and childbirth, (ii) perceptions of the midwife-led model, and (iii) perceptions of maternity care policy.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Five-arm randomised survey experiment using informational vignettes. Participants were randomly assigned to one control condition or one of four treatment conditions. The four treatment arms varied two dimensions of the information provided: (i) information framing (C-section risks vs. Midwife-led model benefits), and (ii) geographical context (national vs. regional CS statistics).
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
SurveyMonkey randomly assigned participants to the treatment arms
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
N/A
Sample size: planned number of observations
480 healthcare professionals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
96 healthcare professionals
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Research Ethics Committee, University of Insubria
IRB Approval Date
2024-10-24
IRB Approval Number
0119183
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
June 30, 2025, 12:00 AM +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
June 30, 2025, 12:00 AM +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
N/A
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
480 health professionals
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
96 health professionals
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Yes
Program Files URL
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials