Table 2. Characteristics and quality of included guidelines.

Organisation/country, year, guideline title, developed by	Description	Quality assessment
World Health Organization, 2018 [1] Intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience World Health Organization	Guideline including 56 recommendations for intrapartum care. Recommendations 13 and 18 are about IA	• The guideline group included persons from all relevant areas/professions • Views and preferences of target population were sought • The target users of the guideline are clearly defined • Systematic methods were used to search for evidence • Criteria for selecting evidence are clearly described • Strengths and limitations of the body of evidence are clearly described • Methods for formulating recommendations are clearly described • The guideline were externally reviewed by experts before publication Overall quality assessment: good
International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), 2017 [2] Use of Intermittent Auscultation for Assessment of Foetal Wellbeing during Labour ICM	Position statement on use of IA	• Unclear who developed the statement • Views and preferences of target population have not been sought • The target users of the guideline are not defined • Unclear if systematic methods were used to search for evidence • Criteria for selecting evidence are unclear • Strengths and limitations of the body of evidence are not described • Methods for formulating recommendations are unclear • Unclear if the guideline were externally reviewed by experts before publication Overall quality assessment: unclear (Position statement, quality assessment meant for guidelines aimed to be evidence-based)
International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), 2015 [3] FIGO consensus guidelines on intrapartum fetal monitoring D. Lewis and S. Downe for the FIGO Intrapartum Fetal Monitoring Expert Consensus Panel	Consensus guideline describing devices for IA, discusses advantages and disadvantages of the devices, providing recommendations for when to continue IA in settings where CTG is available and techniques for how to perform IA	• The guideline development group included 2 midwives, the FIGO Intrapartum Fetal Monitoring Expert Panel of 45 obstetricians • Views and preferences of target population are partly described • The target users of the guideline are defined • Unclear if systematic methods were used to search for evidence • Criteria for selecting evidence are unclear • Strengths and limitations of the body of evidence are not described • Methods for formulating recommendations are unclear • The guideline were not externally reviewed by experts before publication Overall quality assessment: unclear (Consensus guideline, quality assessment meant for guidelines aimed to be evidence-based)
Denmark, 2017 [41] Intrapartum fetal surveillance–indications The Danish Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecology (DSOG)	Guideline providing recommendations on when to use IA, intermittent CTG and continuous CTG during intrapartum care	• The guideline development group included 2 midwives and 15 obstetricians • Views and preferences of target population were not sought • The target users of the guideline are not clearly defined • Systematic methods were used to search for evidence • Criteria for selecting evidence are partly described • Strengths and limitations of the body of evidence are not always clearly described • Methods for formulating the recommendations are clearly described • Unclear if the guideline were externally reviewed by experts before publication Overall quality assessment: moderate
Norway, 2014 [40] Intrapartum fetal surveillance, cord clamping and cord-blood sampling for blood gas analyses Norwegian Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics (NGF)	Guideline with recommendations for intrapartum fetal monitoring, cord clamping and cord-blood gas analyses	• The guideline development group included 1 midwife and 8 obstetricians • Views and preferences of target population were not sought • The target users of the guideline are clearly defined • Unclear to what degree systematic methods were used to search for evidence • Strengths and limitations of the body of evidence are not clearly described • Methods for formulating the recommendations are unclear • The guideline was not externally reviewed by experts before publication Overall quality assessment: unclear
Sweden, 2015 [42] Fetal surveillance in active labour. Recommendations for clinical practice The insurance company for Swedish regions (LØF)	Guideline for fetal monitoring during active labour	• The guideline development group included 1 midwife, 1 neonatologist, 3 obstetricians • Views and preferences of target population were not sought • The target users of the guideline are not defined • Unclear if systematic methods were used to search for evidence • Strengths and limitations of the body of evidence are not described • Methods for formulating recommendations are not described • Unclear if the guideline was externally reviewed by experts before publication Overall quality assessment: unclear
England and Wales, 2014 [39] Intrapartum care. Care of healthy women and their babies during childbirth National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE)	Guideline providing recommendations for intrapartum care. Recommendations Chapters 1.4., 1.10 and 1.13 include recommendations on IA Chapters 1.4 and 1.10 were updated in 2017	• The working group included 3 midwives, 3 obstetricians, 1 neonatologist, 1 obstetric anesthesiologist, 2 patient/carer/consumer representatives • Views and preferences of the target population were sought • The target users of the guideline are clearly defined • Systematic methods were used to search for evidence • Criteria for selecting evidence are clearly described • Strengths and limitations of the body of evidence are clearly described • Methods for formulating recommendations are clearly described • The guidelines were externally reviewed by stakeholders before publication Overall quality assessment: good
Canada, 2007, reaffirmed 2018 [43] Fetal health surveillance: Antepartum and intrapartum consensus guideline The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) and British Columbia Perinatal Health Program.	Guideline for intrapartum fetal monitoring	• Principal authors were 2 medical doctors and 1 nurse; Consensus committee included 11 medical doctors, 1 midwife, 1 nurse, 1 unknown profession • Unclear if views and preferences of the target population were sought • The target users of the guideline are clearly defined • Unclear to what degree systematic methods were used to search for evidence • Criteria for selecting evidence are unclear • Strengths and limitations of the body of evidence are clearly described • Methods for formulating recommendations are clearly described • The guidelines were externally reviewed before publication Overall quality assessment: moderate (Consensus guideline, quality assessment meant for guidelines aimed to be evidence-based)
Australia and New Zealand, 2014 [44] Intrapartum fetal surveillance. Clinical guideline. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG)	Guideline for intrapartum fetal monitoring	• The guideline development group included 2 midwives, 8 obstetricians, 2 MFM specialist, 1 medical specialist, 3 RANZOG administrative staff. In addition, a NZ consultation group with 3 obstetricians, 2 midwives. • Views and preferences of the target population were not sought • The target users of the guideline are clearly defined • Systematic methods were used to search for evidence • Criteria for selecting evidence are clearly described • Strengths and limitations of the body of evidence are clearly described • Methods for formulating recommendations are clearly described • The guideline was not externally reviewed by experts before publication Overall quality assessment: moderate
USA, 2015 [45] ACNM Clinical Bulletin: Intermittent auscultation for intrapartum fetal heart rate surveillance American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM)	Guideline for IA during childbirth	• The guideline development group included 6 midwives • Views and preferences of the target population have been sought • The target users of the guideline are not defined • Unclear if systematic methods were used to search for evidence • Criteria for selecting the evidence are unclear • Strengths and limitations of the body of evidence are clearly described • Methods for formulating the recommendations are clearly described • Unclear if the guideline was externally reviewed before publication Overall quality assessment: moderate
USA, 2018 [46] AWHONN position statement: Fetal heart monitoring Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)	Position statement for fetal heart monitoring during childbirth	• The guideline development group is not described • The views and preferences of the target population were not sought • The target users of the guideline are clearly defined • Unclear if systematic methods were used to search for evidence • Criteria for selecting the evidence are unclear • Strengths and limitations of the body of evidence are not described • The methods for formulating the recommendations are unclear • Unclear if the guidelines were externally reviewed before publication Overall quality assessment: unclear (Position statement, quality assessment meant for guidelines aimed to be evidence-based)