Electronic fetal monitoring: family medicine obstetrics.

Electronic fetal monitoring assesses fetal health during the prenatal and intrapartum process. Intermittent auscultation does not detect key elements of fetal risk, such as beat-to-beat variability. Family medicine obstetric fellowships have contributed new knowledge to this process by articulating a method of analysis that builds on evidence-based recommendations from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology as well as the National Institute of Child Health and Development. This article summarizes the development, interpretation, and management of electronic fetal heart rate patterns and tracings.