Evaluation of an Outpatient Cervical Ripening Program Using Osmotic Dilators and Foley Balloon Catheters

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Maternal-Fetal Medicine
• Reproductive Health

Background:

• Outpatient cervical ripening offers a potential alternative to inpatient induction methods.
• Understanding patient experience and clinical outcomes is crucial for optimizing labor induction protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe patient characteristics, satisfaction, and outcome measures for outpatient cervical ripening.
• To compare outcomes between osmotic dilators and Foley balloon catheters in an outpatient setting.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 120 low-risk singleton pregnancies undergoing outpatient cervical ripening.
• Utilized electronic health record data and patient satisfaction surveys.
• Employed inverse probability of treatment weighting to control for baseline differences.

Main Results:

• Outpatient cervical ripening achieved significant improvements in cervical dilation and simplified Bishop scores (SBS).
• No significant differences in cervical change or time to delivery were observed between osmotic dilators and Foley balloon catheters.
• Patients reported high overall satisfaction, low stress/discomfort at home, and would recommend the outpatient approach.

Conclusions:

• Outpatient cervical ripening with osmotic dilators or Foley balloon catheters is effective and well-tolerated.
• This approach leads to clinically meaningful cervical changes and positive patient experiences.
• Outpatient cervical ripening can be a safe and satisfactory alternative for labor induction.