Evaluation of a preterm birth prevention program: preliminary report.

A clinical study to determine the effectiveness of a program for prevention of preterm birth was conducted at the University of California, San Francisco. The program included scoring and assigning the patients according to their risk of having spontaneous preterm labor and delivery. Patients were instructed in self-detection of the early signs of preterm labor, and those at high risk were followed weekly in a special clinic. A second aspect of the program included intensive in-service education of the obstetric staff. The data indicate that during the year under review a significant decrease in the incidence of preterm delivery has occurred. It is suggested that the preterm birth prevention program may have been instrumental in reducing the preterm delivery rate by enabling early and effective long-term tocolytic therapy.