title: Can vibroacoustic stimulation improve the efficiency of a tertiary care antenatal testing unit?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our primary objective was to determine whether vibroacoustic stimulation (VAS) decreases time to fetal reactivity in the antenatal testing unit (ATU) of a tertiary care center.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a prospective, quality assurance initiative to determine whether VAS could increase the efficiency of our ATU. On pre-specified "VAS days," VAS was applied for 3 s, if the non-stress test was non-reactive in the first 10 min. Generalized estimating equations models were used to account for within subject correlation due to multiple appointments per patient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  VAS use was associated with a 3.76-min reduction in time to reactivity (21.79 vs 25.55, p = 0.011) and a 56% reduction in the need for a biophysical profile (OR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.21-0.90). Overall, however, we found no significant decrease in time spent on the monitor or in the ATU.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compliance with a strict VAS protocol may improve the efficiency of increasingly busy ATUs.
authors.affiliation: Maternal and Child Health Research Program, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. amy.turitz@uphs.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Turitz
authors.forename: Jamie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bastek
authors.forename: Mary D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Sammel
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parry
authors.forename: Nadav
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D004526:Efficiency; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005323:Fetal Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006757:Hospital Units; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D055815:Young Adult