Reduction in resource use with the misoprostol vaginal insert vs the dinoprostone vaginal insert for labour induction: a model-based analysis from a United Kingdom healthcare perspective

Table 2 Resource utilisation parameters from Southmead hospital

Model parameter	Default value
Vaginal examinations (conducted by a midwife)
Duration of examination (minutes)	10
Frequency of examinations
Pre-active labour	Once
Active labour (without oxytocin)	Every 4 h
Active labour (with oxytocin)	Every 3 h
Vital signs monitoring (conducted by a midwife)
Duration of monitoring (minutes)	3
Frequency of monitoring
Pre-active labour	Every 4 h
Active labour–first stage	Every 4 h
Active labour–second stage	Every h
Oxytocin drip (set up by two midwives)
Time to set up oxytocin drip (minutes per midwife)	10

NICE clinical guidelines on intrapartum management [15] recommend monitoring every four hours in the first stage of labour, followed by every hour during the second stage. As the EXPEDITE study [11] did not stratify active labour by stage, to replicate this pattern we assumed that the second stage of labour stage would last no more than one hour, meaning one further examination would occur during this time

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