The Apgar score is useful in all of the following EXCEPT:
a) Predicting mortality in the first month of life
b) Predicting long-term neurological outcomes
c) Providing a consistent and rapid tool for assessing the newborn
d) Providing a means to assess the response to newborn resuscitation
Answer b. The Apgar score has controversial value in predicting neurological outcomes and this was never the intended purpose of this tool. Some studies have correlated the risk of cerebral palsy with very low Apgar scores, but whether this relationship is causal and whether Apgar scores can predict severity of impairment remain controversial.