Outcome of Induced Labour at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto

Labour induction is a common obstetric intervention performed for maternal and foetal indications, but its outcomes including caesarean delivery rates and neonatal outcomes vary significantly across Nigerian tertiary hospitals based on protocols and patient case mix. This study determines the indications, methods, and outcomes of induced labour at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto, North West Nigeria. A retrospective review of labour induction records over a three-year period from 2020 to 2022 was conducted. Data on induction indication, method used, induction-to-delivery interval, mode of delivery, and maternal and neonatal outcomes were extracted from case files and labour ward registers. Labour induction constituted 12.4 percent of all deliveries. Post-dates pregnancy (32 percent), pre-labour rupture of membranes at term (24 percent), and preeclampsia (19 percent) were the leading indications. Oxytocin infusion was the primary induction agent (78 percent), with misoprostol used in 22 percent. Overall induction-to-delivery interval exceeded 24 hours in 38 percent of cases. Caesarean delivery following failed induction was recorded in 28 percent of induced cases. Fresh stillbirth occurred in 4.2 percent of induced deliveries. Recommendations include protocol-guided misoprostol use for cervical ripening, continuous foetal monitoring during induction, and structured induction outcome audits to benchmark and improve induction safety at UDUTH. Keywords: labour induction, oxytocin, outcomes, UDUTH Sokoto, obstetric management