The Apgar score in clinical research: for what, how and by whom it is used

Abstract

Abstract Objectives To review how the Apgar score is used in published clinical research as well as who uses it, and how this may have changed between 1989–90 and 2018–19. Methods Pubmed search for English publications using MeSH Terms “apgar score” OR “apgar” AND “score” AND “humans” for epochs 1989–90 & 2018–19. The location and specialty of first author, primary purpose and how the Apgar score was used was recorded. Results There was a 61% increase in number of publications in 2018–19 compared to 1989–90, from all regions except North America. The most common purpose for using the Apgar was to assess newborn status after pregnancy/delivery interventions. There were 50 different definitions of a significant score. Definition of significance was influenced by specialty in 2018–19 and by study purpose in both epochs. Conclusions Most studies using the Apgar score are focused on the mother. There is no consistent definition of a significant score. Development of any future newborn assessment tools should account for the multiple purposes for which the Apgar score is used.