Abstract

PIP: 500 pregnant women in labor were studied to assess the efficacy of the Goodwin High Risk Scoring System for prediction of neonatal outcome. Goodwin scores ranged from 0-10 with babies at greater risk receiving higher scores. Offspring of these mothers were followed till the time of discharge from the hospital or until death. A total of 433 babies were discharged in apparently good condition while 67 babies expired. The mean resk scores for the babies who were discharged and babies who expired were 2.47 and 5.8 respectively. It was observed that the incidence of low birthweights also increased with increasing risk score. In asphyxiated babies (Apgar score 5 at 1 minute) who had risk scores of 6 or more were almost 8 times more prone to a fatal outcome than those with a lower risk score of 3 or less. This simple scoring system which can be easily applied by even paramedical workers can go a long way not only in selection of patients for referral to well-equipped centers but also in screening of patients needing special care in the overcrowded central hospitals.