AHRQ Evidence Report on Preterm Labor
In December 2000, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ; formerly AHCPR) published its Evidence Report/Technology Assessment on the management of women with symptoms of preterm labor. The report was the result of a rigorous review of the scientific literature on women with symptoms of preterm labor; the review was conducted by the Research Triangle Institute-University of North Carolina Evidence-Based Practice Center. (Note: AHRQ considered literature relating to symptomatic women only.)
Summary of recommendations regarding biological markers
Overall, fFN and endovaginal ultrasound (EVUSD) present strong evidence of effectiveness as a diagnostic tool for assessing the risk of preterm birth in women with symptoms of preterm labor. Both tests were only moderately successful in predicting which women with a positive test would deliver before term, but they consistently exhibited strong NPVs, thereby identifying women at low risk for preterm birth. We concluded that these biologic markers offer valuable information that could allow women to avoid unnecessary treatments. These tests can usefully supplement clinical judgment, especially in terms of identifying women who are not likely to experience a preterm birth.
To access the full report
To read the summary, visit www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epcsums/pretermsum.htm.
If you use a PC with Windows and a browser that allows you to FTP, you can download a 1.9-megabyte zipped file that contains the full text and all the graphic elements of the report.
Visit www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epcindex.htm and look for the link to the Management of Preterm Labor, zipped file.