Title |
The purple line as a measure of labourprogress: a longitudinal study
|
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Published in |
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, September 2010
|
DOI | 10.1186/1471-2393-10-54 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Ashley Shepherd, Helen Cheyne, Susan Kennedy, Colette McIntosh, Maggie Styles, Catherine Niven |
Abstract |
Vaginal examination (VE) and assessment of the cervix is currently considered to be the gold standard for assessment of labour progress. It is however inherently imprecise with studies indicating an overall accuracy for determining the diameter of the cervix at between 48-56%. Furthermore, VEs can be unpleasant, intrusive and embarrassing for women, and are associated with the risk of introducing infection. In light of increasing concern world wide about the use of routine interventions in labour it may be time to consider alternative, less intrusive means of assessing progress in labour. The presence of a purple line during labour, seen to rise from the anal margin and extend between the buttocks as labour progresses has been reported. The study described in this paper aimed to assess in what percentage of women in labour a purple line was present, clear and measurable and to determine if any relationship existed between the length of the purple line and cervical dilatation and/or station of the fetal head. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United Kingdom | 36 | 51% |
United States | 11 | 15% |
Canada | 2 | 3% |
Australia | 1 | 1% |
Netherlands | 1 | 1% |
Hong Kong | 1 | 1% |
Brazil | 1 | 1% |
Unknown | 18 | 25% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 48 | 68% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 11 | 15% |
Scientists | 9 | 13% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 2 | 3% |
Unknown | 1 | 1% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
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United States | 2 | 2% |
Unknown | 99 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Student > Bachelor | 32 | 32% |
Student > Postgraduate | 11 | 11% |
Student > Master | 10 | 10% |
Other | 10 | 10% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 4 | 4% |
Other | 12 | 12% |
Unknown | 22 | 22% |
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---|---|---|
Nursing and Health Professions | 34 | 34% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 30 | 30% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 4 | 4% |
Engineering | 3 | 3% |
Computer Science | 2 | 2% |
Other | 3 | 3% |
Unknown | 25 | 25% |