Educational program for premature labor.

In spite of advances in prenatal care, the rate of prematurity has remained relatively constant at 7 percent. Prematurity accounts for 75 percent of perinatal mortality. I The benefit of tocolytic treatment is diminished, because 70 percent to 80 percent of patients in preterm labor do not seek help until membranes have ruptured or cervical dilation is too advanced for treatment to be effective.2,3 Risk-scoring can be used to define a population at higher risk for premature labor, but 66 percent to 80 percent of preterm births do not come from this group.4-6 Because there is such a large, unpredictable population experiencing premature labor, physicians must view all pregnancies as being at risk for this problem. All comprehensive approaches to the prevention of premature labor involve patient educational programs that serve to make the patient aware of premature labor.7-l0 After reviewing current practices at the Mayo Clinic, we formed the consensus that an educational program on premature labor was important for the following reasons: