The role of standardized risk assessment in the provision of prenatal care.

Errors in the provision of prenatal care are more likely to be the result of mental saturation than of inadequacies in the physician's fund of knowledge. To eliminate medical errors the physician should commit more time to the processing of clinical data. There are, however, limits to the physician's ability to handle large amounts of information in a busy clinic. This article outlines the benefits and limitations of risk scoring, and recommends the use of standardized risk assessment as a screening device to detect those pregnancies in need of further investigation or consultation with a specialist.