Operative obstetrics is a fundamental component of maternity care, encompassing some of the most complex decisions clinicians make. From assisted vaginal birth to caesarean birth, care must be guided by careful consideration of maternal and neonatal outcomes, women’s preferences, and the best available evidence. It is therefore essential that the clinical guidance supporting these decisions is both evidence-based and trusted by the profession.

RANZCOG continues to play a leading role in developing guidance that supports safe and consistent care, including clinical guidelines on caesarean birth(opens in new tab), birth after caesarean(opens in new tab), and other intrapartum interventions(opens in new tab). In the area of operative obstetrics, the Research and Policy team is currently leading the development of an updated Management of complications in the second stage of labour (C-Obs 16) clinical guideline, which includes recommendations on assisted vaginal birth. Publication of the guideline is anticipated by the end of 2026. These guidelines help translate evidence into practice and support high-quality care across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Equally important is ensuring that guideline development processes are transparent and free from undue influence. The recent launch of RANZCOG’s updated (2026) Conflict of Interest (COI) Policy(opens in new tab) represents an important step in strengthening the integrity, transparency, and credibility of the College’s work. The policy provides a clear framework for identifying, declaring, and managing real, potential, and perceived conflicts of interest across College activities, including clinical guideline development.

This is relevant not only to operative obstetrics but also to areas such as menopause, where RANZCOG will soon publish a new clinical guideline. Across these fields, many of the most experienced clinicians and researchers are actively engaged in research, education, advisory groups, and clinical leadership. Their expertise is essential to the development of high-quality, evidence-based guidance.

Importantly, expertise and conflicts of interest are not mutually exclusive. Many of the people best placed to contribute to guideline development have professional interests that need to be carefully considered. By ensuring these interests are declared and managed transparently, RANZCOG can draw on the best available expertise while maintaining trust in its recommendations.

As the College expands its clinical guideline program, many principles remain critical, including:

• early and transparent declaration of relevant interests;
• appropriate assessment of the materiality of declared interests;
• balanced representation of subject matter experts, including community representatives with lived experience; and
• careful management of situations where members may need to recuse themselves from discussions or decisions.

For RANZCOG, the challenge is not choosing between expertise and independence, it is ensuring both. By combining world-leading clinical expertise with robust conflict-of-interest management, the College can continue to produce trusted, evidence-based guidance that improves outcomes for women and babies and maintains confidence in our recommendations.

If you feel that you have the skills, experience, and perspective to contribute to the development of trusted, evidence-based RANZCOG guidelines, we would love to hear from you. Opportunities to participate in guideline development and provide feedback on draft work are advertised in Connect. To access clinical guidance documents please visit Statements and Guidelines(opens in new tab), or for any questions or further information, please contact [email protected].