PROTOCOL ANALYSIS
Preterm labor is a significant health problem for many pregnant women in the United States. It is estimated that eight to ten percent of all births in the United States are the result of premature labor, which account for approximately 440,000 births annually. Preterm labor is also the leading cause of perinatal morbity and mortality and results in health care expenditures of over three billion dollars per year. (ACOG, 2001). It was thought that the incidence of preterm labor would decrease in time, but this has not been the case. Although infant morbity has decreased due to technological advances in neonatal medicine, the incidence of preterm labor has actually increased (Goldenberg, 2002). Preterm labor is defined as: "contractions occurring between 20 to 36 weeks which occur regularly, leading to progressive cervical change." (ACOG, 2003). Diagnosing preterm labor is complicated and has a high false-positive rate. The effect of false diagnoses is that......
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Approximate Word Count: 2933
Approximate Pages: 12 (260 words per double-spaced page) |