Introduction
A colleague on Labor and Delivery recently sought my advice about one of her pregnant patients whom I was co-managing. In giving me the update, she mentioned that the patient “failed her non-stress test.” I was not surprised as I often hear this term on rounds, but it was the first time I’d heard someone refer to antepartum testing this way. The most common clinical scenario where I encounter this term is in relation to the diagnosis of gestational diabetes. Patients with gestational diabetes are frequently described as having failed the glucose tolerance test. Should they have tried harder? What does this term even mean in the broader medical context? Can one fail a medical evaluation as one does a school examination? How does this term make patients feel?