Perinatal outcome. Similarity and predictive value of antepartum and intrapartum assessment scales.

This study evaluated five risk-screening scales containing antepartum and intrapartum subscales. Two issues were addressed: (1) whether one scale is as good as another in screening obstetric patients for perinatal risk, and (2) whether intrapartum scores are more important predictors of perinatal outcome than are antepartum scores. Four of the five scales produced fairly similar total scores, but the overall value of these scores in predicting perinatal outcome was not as good as that shown by scores derived from the least similar scale. The major differences between scales were due to the specific antepartum items they contained. In general, the antepartum scores were found to influence the prediction of infant outcome more strongly, and intrapartum scores were more predictive of maternal outcome.