title: Outcome of pregnancies referred to a general practitioner maternity unit in a district hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To audit the outcome of pregnancies booked for confinement in a general practitioner maternity unit in a district general hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of case records.
  
  
  METHODS
  General practitioner maternity unit in a district general hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  685 Women referred to a general practitioner unit in 1987.
  
  
  RESULTS
  315 Nulliparous women and 330 multiparous women were booked for confinement; 202 women transferred to consultant care before delivery and a further 104 during labour or after delivery. Recognised risk factors, other than nulliparity, rarely predicted the need for transfer. Confinement in the general practitioner unit was associated with low intervention and good fetal outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The general practitioner maternity unit provides a safe alternative for confinement in low risk pregnancies. High rates of transfer deny this facility to many women who desire confinement in a low technology environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, North Tees General Hospital, Stockton on Tees, Cleveland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prentice
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Walton
mesh_terms: D001034:Apgar Score; D001724:Birth Weight; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000379:methods; D004739:England; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009775:Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010360:Patient Transfer; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors