Is There a Place for Outpatient Preinduction Cervical Ripening?

Induction of labor continues to be one of the most commonly performed tasks in obstetrics. If trials like the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's ARRIVE trial show that delivery for all women at 39 weeks provides a significant advantage in pregnancy outcomes, the number of women who require induction of labor will considerably increase. Strategies to improve patient/family satisfaction, decrease resource allocation and costs, and assure safety are paramount. Although there are many potential candidates, it seems that outpatient preinduction cervical ripening with the Foley catheter meets these criteria in a properly selected group of low-risk women.