The person with the greatest need should be given the most care, and the health care system should strive to be cost-efficient. Swedish health care is obliged to give care on equal conditions for the entire population. It is crucial to provide care based on individual needs. The need for more than one membrane sweep is associated with less likelihood of spontaneous onset of labour. It has a high level of acceptability among patients and is highly recommended by them to other patients. Two in three women (65%) thought that membrane sweep helped them to labour, and over 80% would recommend it to other pregnant women despite 63% of women reporting moderate discomfort with the procedure.Ĭervical membrane sweep is associated with spontaneous onset of labour within 7 days in the majority of patients, more so in the presence of higher Bishop score and better quality sweep. Nine in ten women (91%) had previously heard of cervical membrane sweep. In the presence of a Bishop score greater than six, the rate of spontaneous labour was 97% in our patient cohort. Three quarters of both nulliparae (73%) and multipara (76%) delivered within 7 days of membrane sweep. A quarter of nulliparae (25%) and 18% of multipara had labour induction despite membrane sweep. Spontaneous labour occurred in 79% of women following membrane sweep. Postnatally, patient perception of the experience of membrane sweep was evaluated as well as their recommendation of the procedure for other women.Ī prospective multi-centre cohort study of women who had cervical membrane sweep at term was carried out which assesses labour and delivery outcomes as well as patient perceptions in women undergoing membrane sweep. This study is aimed at determining if cervical membrane sweep at term has an effect on duration of pregnancy and delivery outcome in an Irish population.
There is no published data on obstetric outcomes following membrane sweep in an Irish obstetric population or any studies on patient perception/recommendation of membrane sweep in the international literature. Cervical membrane sweep is a mechanical method of cervical ripening at term gestation with the aim of avoiding prolonged pregnancy and reducing the need for labour induction for this indication.