Descriptive study of electronic fetal monitoring in a rural community: does it make a difference?

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Title Descriptive study of electronic fetal monitoring in a rural community: does it make a difference?
Publication Type thesis
School or College School of Medicine
Department Family & Preventive Medicine
Author Edwards, Ronald Jonathan
Date 1981-08
Description Electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) has become a standard of care in many labor and delivery settings. Studies of the effects of such monitoring have been inconclusive, although among high-risk women there have been some impressive results attributed to EFM. The present study investigated the effects of introducing EFM in a rural hospital labor and delivery setting. Using a retrospective cohort design, charts of 749 obstetrical cases admitted to the Tooele valley Hospital were reviewed and abstracted. These cases covered a four-year period: two year before EFM was installed and two years after. No significant differences (p<.05) were detected among the clinical parameters evaluate before and after monitoring became available. A difference (p<.0001) was found in the frequency of obstetrical consultations obtained. Before EFM was available 11% of patients had consults compared with 3% after. However, during the period when EFM was available there were as many consults obtained on unmonitored patients (2.9%) as for monitored women (2.3%). Neither Cesarean section rate nor mean Apgar scores changed between the two periods. It would appear the EFM is of limited usefulness in a low-risk, primary care setting.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Tooele Valley Hospital; Utah; Electrical Fetal Monitoring
Subject MESH Fetal Monitoring; Rural Health
Dissertation Institution University of Utah
Dissertation Name MS
Language eng
Relation is Version of Digital reproduction of "A Descriptive study of electronic fetal monitoring in a rural community : does it make a difference? Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library. Print version of "A Descriptive study of electronic fetal monitoring in a rural community : does it make a difference?" available at J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collection. RG 41.5 1981 E38.
Rights Management © Ronald Jonathan Edwards.
Format application/pdf
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 1,077,160 bytes
Identifier undthes,4399
Source Original: University of Utah Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library (no longer available).
Master File Extent 1,077,191 bytes
ARK ark:/87278/s63j3fqw
Setname ir_etd
ID 190698
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s63j3fqw
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