Many maternity care practices, initially developed to address specific clinical issues, are now frequently applied routinely, even among healthy women. This widespread use of interventions—often without clear medical indication—can expose mothers and newborns to unnecessary risks with minimal or no therapeutic benefit. Conversely, several interventions with proven efficacy remain underutilized.Evidence-based maternity care emphasizes the adoption of practices that are both effective and minimally invasive, prioritizing approaches with established benefits and minimal harm. Bridging the gap between current clinical practices and research evidence is essential to improving the quality of maternity care and reducing out-of-pocket-expenditures for the public.Achieving this requires the promotion and implementation of evidence-based perinatal care. However, several barriers hinder this transition, including organizational constraints, individual resistance, communication challenges, lack of high-quality research, and insufficient evidence in certain areas.To overcome these challenges, it is necessary to establish dedicated national, regional, and local frameworks that support the production, dissemination, and implementation of evidence-based knowledge. These structures should aim to standardize clinical practices and support the ongoing professional development of nurses and midwives.Given that nurses represent the largest segment of the healthcare workforce, they play a pivotal role as both generators and users of research evidence. Their active involvement in the development and application of evidence-based maternity care practices is essential to ensuring the health and well-being of mothers and infants.
