Trial reportBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2008
Effects of algorithm for diagnosis of active labour: cluster randomised trial.
Trial report in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Assessment and support during early labour for improving birth outcomes.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Effect of a collector bag for measurement of postpartum blood loss after vaginal delivery: cluster randomised trial in 13 European countries.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2010Trial
- Exploratory Non-invasive Estimation of Cervical Dilation from Electrohysterography and Maternal Data: A Machine-Learning Proof-of-Concept Study.Annals of biomedical engineering · 2026Article
- Clinical decision support systems for maternity care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.EClinicalMedicine · 2024Article
- Methods to reduce the number of vaginal examinations in labour progress assessment so as to support normality at childbirth.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2024Article
- Development and validation of a tool for advising primiparous women during early labour: study protocol for the GebStart Study.BMJ open · 2022Article
- Maximin design of cluster randomized trials with heterogeneous costs and variances.Biometrical journal. Biometrische Zeitschrift · 2021Article
- Variations in outcomes for women admitted to hospital in early versus active labour: an observational study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2020Observational
- Sociodemographic differences in women's experience of early labour care: a mixed methods study.BMJ open · 2017Article
- Early versus Late Admission to Labor Affects Labor Progression and Risk of Cesarean Section in Nulliparous Women.Frontiers in medicine · 2016Article
- Labour management and Obstetric outcomes among pregnant women admitted in latent phase compared to active phase of labour at Bugando Medical Centre in Tanzania.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2014Article
- The purple line as a measure of labour progress: a longitudinal study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2010Article
- Cervical Dilation Classification from Electrohysterography and Clinical Features: A Machine-Learning-Derived Digital Biomarker.Digital biomarkersArticle
- Developing appropriate methods for cost-effectiveness analysis of cluster randomized trials.Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision MakingArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo compare the effectiveness of an algorithm for diagnosis of active labour in primiparous women with standard care in terms of maternal and neonatal outcomes.
designCluster randomised trial.
settingMaternity units in Scotland with at least 800 annual births.
participants4503 women giving birth for the first time, in 14 maternity units. Seven experimental clusters collected data from a baseline sample of 1029 women and a post-implementation sample of 896 women. The seven control clusters had a baseline sample of 1291 women and a post-implementation sample of 1287 women.
interventionUse of an algorithm by midwives to assist their diagnosis of active labour, compared with standard care. Main outcomes Primary outcome: use of oxytocin for augmentation of labour. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: medical interventions in labour, admission management, and birth outcome.
resultsNo significant difference was found between groups in percentage use of oxytocin for augmentation of labour (experimental minus control, difference=0.3, 95% confidence interval -9.2 to 9.8; P=0.9) or in the use of medical interventions in labour. Women in the algorithm group were more likely to be discharged from the labour suite after their first labour assessment (difference=-19.2, -29.9 to -8.6; P=0.002) and to have more pre-labour admissions (0.29, 0.04 to 0.55; P=0.03).
conclusionsUse of an algorithm to assist midwives with the diagnosis of active labour in primiparous women did not result in a reduction in oxytocin use or in medical intervention in spontaneous labour. Significantly more women in the experimental group were discharged home after their first labour ward assessment.
trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN00522952.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.