Bergsjo 1989.

Study characteristics
Methods	RCT
Participants	Number of women randomised: 188 Setting: Wuhan, Hubei province, China Study date: study conducted 1 July 1982 to January 1985 (enrolment ended early 1984) Inclusion criteria All parities Not in labour Intact membranes Normal pregnancy No significant risk factors GA for intervention: 42+ completed weeks (294+ days) Exclusion criteria No additional criteria State of cervix: not mentioned
Interventions	Induction group (n = 94): stripping of membranes followed by oxytocin infusion and AROM if cervix sufficiently dilated. GA for intervention: 42 completed weeks (294 days) versus EM group (n = 94): no intervention for 1 week, IOL at 43 weeks.
Outcomes	Mother: operative vaginal birth; duration of labour; caesarean section; breastfeeding (timing of recording of this outcome in relation to birth or discharge time was not specified) Baby: perinatal death; meconium aspiration syndrome
Notes	Funding: not reported Declarations of interest: not reported
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	List of random numbers
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	The method of allocation concealment was not reported.
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	High risk	Blinding was not feasible.
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Blinded outcome assessment was not mentioned.
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Low risk	8/94 in IOL group went into labour before IOL but were kept in the allocated group. No apparent losses to follow‐up or exclusions
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	High risk	Most prespecified outcomes were reported; however, limited information was provided for some outcomes (e.g. combined maternal complications) and neonatal outcomes, e.g. "Maternal complications, including protracted labour, cervical edema, cervical laceration, postpartum hemorrhage and unspecified postpartum morbidity accounted to about 15% in both groups, with no significant differences;" and "About 90 mothers in each group were breastfeeding."
Other bias	Low risk	Appeared to be free of other bias