North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) Practice Exam

The New Ballard Scale (NBS) gestational age assessment provides accuracy within a range of how many weeks?

1. 1 week

2. 2 weeks

3. 3 weeks

4. 4 weeks

The correct answer is: 2 weeks

The New Ballard Scale (NBS) is a widely used tool for assessing the gestational age of newborns based on physical and neuromuscular criteria. It is designed to provide an accurate estimation of gestational age with a notable level of precision. This assessment method is particularly important for identifying preterm infants and for guiding further medical management. The NBS operates within a recognized range of accuracy, which has been established through clinical studies. This assessment tool can typically estimate gestational age within a range of approximately two weeks. This means that when the NBS assessment is conducted, it can confidently identify the gestational age but may be off by up to two weeks in either direction. This level of accuracy allows healthcare providers to make informed decisions regarding the care and monitoring of the infant during their early days of life. In contrast, the other ranges provided are not reflective of the established accuracy of the NBS. A narrower range of one week would imply a level of precision that the scale does not reliably provide, and a broader range of three to four weeks exceeds the standard accuracy recognized in clinical contexts. Thus, the assessment's accuracy within a two-week range is well-supported in literature and practice.