title: Usefulness of the Apgar score: a national survey of Polish neonatal centers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The paper discusses the reliability of the Apgar score for evaluating newborns, particularly its usefulness in assessing the state of preterm or full term newborns born with hypoxia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The paper provides a sum-up of the opinions on usefulness and reliability of the Apgar score given by doctors from 255 NICUs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data for the analysis were gathered by means of a questionnaire opinion poll sent to 158 primary referral centers, 71 secondary referral centers and 26 tertiary referral centers. Respondents answered questions about value of the Apgar score assessment (highly valuable, limited value, always reliable), as well as overrating and underrating children born in good overall condition and children born with clinical and biochemical indicators of hypoxia. In the group of prematurely born babies, the data concerning newborns with very low (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) were analyzed separately
  
  
  RESULTS
  88.5% neonatologists claimed the use of the Apgar score in assessing newborn condition to be of little value and only 11.5% found this indicator useful and reliable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to the majority of Polish neonatologists, Apgar score is not reliable in the assessment of term and preterm hypoxic newborns.
authors.affiliation: Neonatal and Intensive Care Department, Warsaw Medical University, Poland.
authors.forename: Maria K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kornacka
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Musialik-Swietlińska
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Swietliński
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ksiazyk
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Migdał
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brozek
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zejda
mesh_terms: D001034:Apgar Score; D001238:Asphyxia Neonatorum / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D001724:Birth Weight; D003696:Delivery Rooms / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000458:organization & administration; D008297:Male; D018743:Perinatal Care / Q000379:methods; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires