A pilot randomised controlled trial to determine the effect of two designs of partographs, including labour progress lines, on the rate of spontaneous vaginal birth amongst low risk women in labour for the first time: The Partograph Trial

Inclusion Criteria11

• Nulliparous women in spontaneous labour who are:
• At term (between 37 and 41 weeks plus 6 days gestation) with a singleton pregnancy, a cephalic (head down) presentation and cervical
• dilatation of 4cm or greater
• Equal to or greater than 18 years of age and able to provide informed
• consent
• Defined as ‘low risk’ i.e. no history of: stillbirth or neonatal death, three or more consecutive miscarriages, previous fetal death in utero, previous
• preterm birth (less than 32 weeks), previous mid-trimester loss/cervical incompetence/cone biopsy/known uterine anomaly, previous early onset of pre-eclampsia (less than 32 weeks gestation), or rhesus isoimmunisation;
• no complications during the current pregnancy (such as
• multiple pregnancy or fetal abnormality); and no precluding medical conditions (such as cardiac disease, essential hypertension, renal disease,
• pre-existing diabetes, previous gestational diabetes, epilepsy, severe asthma, substance use, significant psychiatric disorders, age greater than
• years, body mass indexless than 17 or greater than 35).