Obstetrics and gynecology
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Obstetrics and gynecology · Feb 2016
ReviewWhat is New in the Management of Acute Preterm Labor?: Best Articles From the Past Year.
This month we focus on current research in the management of acute preterm labor. Dr. Malone discusses four recent publications, which are concluded with a "bottom line" that is the take-home message. The complete reference for each can be found in on this page, along with direct links to the abstracts.
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Obstetrics and gynecology · Feb 2016
ReviewCommittee Opinion No. 657 Summary: The Obstetric and Gynecologic Hospitalist.
The term "hospitalist" refers to physicians whose primary professional focus is the general medical care of hospitalized patients. Their activities may include patient care, teaching, research, and inpatient leadership. ⋯ Effective patient handoffs, updates on progress, and clear follow-up instructions between ob-gyn hospitalists and patients, nurses, and other health care providers are vital to maintaining patient safety. Hospitals and other health care organizations should ensure that candidates for positions as ob-gyn hospitalists are drawn from those with documented training and experience appropriate for the management of the acute and potentially emergent clinical circumstances that may be encountered in obstetric care.
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The obstetric hospitalist and the obstetric and gynecologic hospitalist evolved in response to diverse forces in medicine, including the need for leadership on labor and delivery units, an increasing emphasis on quality and safety in obstetrics and gynecology, the changing demographics of the obstetric and gynecologic workforce, and rising liability costs. Current (although limited) research suggests that obstetric and obstetric and gynecologic hospitalists may improve the quality and safety of obstetric care, including lower cesarean delivery rates and higher vaginal birth after cesarean delivery rates as well as lower liability costs and fewer liability events. ⋯ The leadership of the Society of Obstetric and Gynecologic Hospitalists proposes standardized definitions of an obstetric hospitalist, an obstetric and gynecologic hospitalist, and obstetric and gynecologic hospital medicine practices to standardize communication and facilitate program implementation and research. Clinical investigations regarding obstetric and gynecologic practices (including hospitalist practices) should define inpatient coverage arrangements using these standardized definitions to allow for fair conclusions and comparisons between practices.
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Obstetrics and gynecology · Feb 2016
ReviewMedication Abortion Through Telemedicine: Implications of a Ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court.
In summer 2015, the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously struck down a restriction that would have prevented physicians from administering a medication abortion remotely through video teleconferencing. In its ruling, the Iowa Supreme Court stated that the restriction would have placed an undue burden on a woman's right to access abortion services. It is crucially important for clinicians--especially primary care clinicians, obstetrician-gynecologists (ob-gyns), and all health care providers of telemedicine services--to understand the implications of this recent ruling, especially in rural settings. ⋯ If telemedicine abortions are indeed being unconstitutionally restricted as the Iowa Supreme Court determined, court decisions reversing these bans could improve access to abortion services for the 21 million reproductive-age women living in these 18 states, which have a limited supply of ob-gyns, mostly concentrated in urban, metropolitan areas. Beyond the potential effects on abortion access, we argue that the Court's decision also has broader implications for telemedicine, by limiting the role of state boards of medicine regarding the restriction of politically controversial medical services when provided through telemedicine. The interplay between telemedicine policy, abortion politics, and the science of medicine is at the heart of the Court's decision and has meaning beyond Iowa's borders for reproductive-age women across the United States.
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Obstetrics and gynecology · Feb 2016
ReviewCommittee Opinion No. 658 Summary: Optimizing Support For Breastfeeding As Part Of Obstetric Practice.
Although most women in the United States initiate breastfeeding, more than one half wean earlier than they desire. As reproductive health experts and advocates for women's health who work in conjunction with other obstetric and pediatric health care providers, obstetrician-gynecologists are uniquely positioned to enable women to achieve their infant feeding goals. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, with continued breastfeeding as complementary foods are introduced through the infant's first year of life, or longer as mutually desired by the woman and her infant. ⋯ Obstetrician-gynecologists and other obstetric care providers should support each woman's informed decision about whether to initiate or continue breastfeeding, recognizing that she is uniquely qualified to decide whether exclusive breastfeeding, mixed feeding, or formula feeding is optimal for her and her infant. Obstetrician-gynecologists and other obstetric care providers should support women in integrating breastfeeding into their daily lives in the community and in the workplace. The offices of obstetrician-gynecologists and other obstetric care providers should be a resource for breastfeeding women through the infant's first year of life, and for those who continue beyond the first year.