Development and validation of a risk prediction model of preterm birth for women with preterm labour symptoms (the QUIDS study) : A prospective cohort study and individual participant data meta-analysis

Funding: This publication presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) HTA Programme (Project Number 14/32/01). All listed authors were funded via this programme. Funder website URL: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/explore-nihr/funding-programmes/health-technology-assessment.htm. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. SJS is funded by the Wellcome Trust (209560/Z/17/Z). The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. We are grateful to HOLOGIC (Marlborough, MA, USA) for providing adapted analyzers at each site allowing quantitative fFN values to be masked from clinicians and offered training and support to each site for fFN testing. They also allowed QUIDS sites to purchase tests at the lowest list price (NHS treatment cost). HOLOGIC had no involvement in data collection, analysis or interpretation, and no role in the writing of this manuscript or the decision to submit for publication. We are also grateful to PARSAGEN DIAGNOSTICS who gifted Partosure test kits for a substudy comparing different biochemical test of preterm labour (to be reported separately) and offered training and support to sites and MEDIX BIOCHEMICA who provided test kits at a reduced cost and offered training and support to sites. These companies had no other involvement in study design, implementation, analysis or interpretation of results.Peer reviewedPublisher PD