Evaluation of different approaches to obstetric care: Part 1.

The obstetric management and results obtained by two obstetric teams working in the Cardiff Maternity Hospital over a five-year period are compared. One team had a more active approach to induction of labour and antepartum monitoring with urinary oestrogen assay and serial ultrasound cephalometry than the other. After controlling for differences in the attributes of the two groups of patients treated, it was not possible to show any striking advantage or disadvantage of the more active approach.