Is manual palpation of uterine contractions accurate?

The aims of this study were to assess the accuracy of uterine contraction palpation, determine whether the accuracy of palpation improves with experience, determine clinical factors that affect the accuracy of palpation, and evaluate the range of intrauterine pressure present when an observer notes the contraction to be mild, moderate, or strong.

A total of 236 observations were obtained by use of intrauterine pressure catheters on 46 laboring patients in the first stage of labor. The blinded observers (obstetrics and gynecology residents, maternal-fetal medicine fellows and faculty, and labor and delivery nurses) were asked to label a contraction as mild, moderate, or strong. Patient's height, weight, parity, and gestational age, use of oxytocin, use of epidural anesthesia, and laboring position, and the level of training of the observer were noted.

Mild, moderate, and strong contractions had intrauterine pressures of 35.2 +/- 33.8 mm Hg (+/- 2 SD), 44.9 +/- 35.4 mm Hg, and 55.5 +/- 28.0 mm Hg, respectively. The observers were accurate in predicting contraction strength 49% of the time. There was no improvement in accuracy with increased physician experience. All physicians as a group were more accurate than nurses (p < 0.05). Accuracy was not affected by clinical variables.

Manual palpation of uterine contractions is an inaccurate means of determining contraction strength.