“The In-hospital midwifery care system” is a setup that utilize midwives in hospital, sharing the role with doctors. On this system, “the In-hospital midwifery care” is established in a ward, and midwives assist a pregnant woman on delivery, taking the initiative. The objective of this study is to show the way of optimizing the planning for the In-hospital midwifery care system. As a first step of the study, this paper aims to reveal typology of delivery space and actual conditions of environmental improvements in the In-hospital midwifery care. The survey was conducted in twenty hospitals. After considering based on field works, the conclusions are as follows.
1) Two conditions were founded; the delivery styles and the independence to spaces of the obstetrical department. Based on them, six basic planning forms were derived.
2) Four elemental rooms support each type; labor room and delivery room, LDR, chair seat rank-type obstetrical room, seat rank-type obstetrical room.
3) Among the four elemental rooms, LDR is the most considerable both for medical purpose and residential purpose. In fact LDR is adopted the most frequently.
4) The independence to spaces of the obstetrical department is performed in large-scaled hospitals, more than four hundred beds. It means that substantial medical facilities scale should be required for the space creation to raise the leadership of midwives.
5) The delivery space, which is used for the sickroom, is particular to the In-hospital midwifery care, and it does not exist in spaces of the obstetrical department. It provides the environment that is closer to domestic delivery, and here, pregnant women do not have to move all the time in hospital, and they can stay under same condition.
6) As requirements of environmental improvement by the recognition of midwives, four categories in the aspect of environment of providing equipment; elemental rooms, architectural equipment, delivery space equipment, and making homey environment, and three categories in the aspect of human environment; pregnant women's mental comfort, pregnant women's physical comfort, and easy attend of their family, are found.
7) For environmental improvement of the In-hospital midwifery care, midwives are most interested in the pregnant women's mental comfort. For tendency, categorizing by basic planning forms, making homey environment is highly concerned for the form rather similar to the obstetrical department, and the delivery space equipment is concerned for the form rather similar to the midwifery center.
8) As requirements for environmental improvement suitable for delivery in the In-hospital midwifery care, differently from one in the obstetrics medical care, pregnant women's mental comfort, brought by making homey environment, or delivery space equipment, drew so much attention. And pregnant women's physical comfort, brought by delivery space equipment like as tatami and delivery auxiliary implement, drew so much attention.
