8 research outputs found
Student-Perceived Preparedness in Contraceptive and Abortion Counseling
Project Background: Upwards of 25% of women will seek an abortion by
age 45; however, 17% of accredited American medical schools lack any formal
abortion-related curriculum, and only 50% offer a clinical elective exposing
students to abortion counseling and procedures. The gap between the large
number of women seeking this care and the small amount of curriculum
designed to prepare students to effectively counsel and provide this care is
stark, and it represents an urgent area of study and curriculum re-design.
Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey of students at all levels of
medical training to assess student-perceived level of preparedness to provide
non-directive counseling on reproductive health topics, such as contraception
and abortion. Preparedness was measured on a 6-point preparedness scale
(1=very unprepared and 6=very prepared). Mean scores were analyzed as a
whole and stratified by training level. We also performed a comparative
analysis of the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics
(APGO) abortion-related learning objectives (LOs) and the corresponding LOs
in our didactic reproductive health course curriculum at our institution.
Results: Our preliminary survey population (n=57) included majority female
(66.7%) and underclassmen (MS1 = 42.1%, MS2 = 31.6%), and varied in
intended specialty. Mean preparedness to provide contraception and abortion
counseling score was 2.26±0.55. When stratified to include only students in
their clinical years (MS3/4, dual degree), mean preparedness score only
slightly increased to 2.97±0.75. Our curriculum analysis revealed that LOs
from our didactic reproductive health course covered all 5 APGO LOs on
Family Planning, but did not cover 2 of the 4 APGO LOs on Pregnancy
Termination.
Conclusions: We identified gaps in our institution’s Pregnancy Termination
curriculum, as defined by the nationally recognized APGO LOs. We also
identified that current didactic and clinical training at our institution
inadequately prepares medical students to provide comprehensive
reproductive health counseling to women, based on mean self-reported
preparedness scores. The next step is to disseminate a more in-depth survey
from Feb-Mar 2021 to the same student population to further evaluate student
perceptions about preparedness for reproductive health counseling compared
to preparedness to counsel about hypertension management to determine
whether student preparedness in family planning significantly lags
preparedness in other areas of medicine. Our ultimate goal is to positively
influence curriculum enhancement in comprehensive reproductive health care
at our institution
Curriculum Integration of Pregnancy Termination and Family Planning in Didactic Medical Education
Background: Given that one in four women will seek an abortion before age 45, there is an urgent need to demystify abortion-related topics and expand providers’ foundational knowledge about pregnancy termination and family planning. An effective way of addressing gaps in women’s reproductive healthcare is integration of the public health importance, legal factors, and counseling surrounding family planning and pregnancy termination into medical school curricula in accordance with Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) guidelines.
Objective: Determine whether Indiana University School of Medicine’s (IUSM’s) current pregnancy termination and family planning curricula follow proposed APGO educational guidelines. Evaluate medical student preparedness and interest surrounding family planning and pregnancy termination.
Methods: To assess the alignment between IUSM and APGO educational guidelines, session learning objectives (SLOs) from the didactic course Endocrine, Reproductive, Musculoskeletal, Dermatologic Systems (ERMD) syllabus were compared to the relevant APGO objectives. Data was collected through a survey via Qualtrics disseminated to all IUSM students which was intended to assess students’ feelings of preparedness providing accurate medical information regarding reproductive health topics, including contraception, abortion, ethical and legal implications of pregnancy termination, personal values clarification, and others, as well as interest in integrating those topics into IUSM curriculum.
Results: Participants (n=303) were primarily female (61.72%) and White (74.43%) and included students who had completed the Reproductive Block of the Endocrine, Reproductive, Musculoskeletal, and Dermatologic Systems (ERMD) Course and the OB/GYN Clerkship (35.64%), only the ERMD Course (25.08%), or neither (39.27%). Across all levels of undergraduate medical education, the majority (60.80%) of students expected to learn about family planning and contraception in preclinical or clinical years of medical school. Overall, 85.67% of students believed that IUSM should enhance its reproductive and sexual health coverage in the current curriculum, including expanding family planning and contraception didactic training
Development and Implementation of Pregnancy Options Counseling Curriculum in Preclinical Medical Education
INTRODUCTION: Pre-clinical education during medical school is an opportunity to lay a strong foundation for clinical skill development. Options counseling for pregnancy is one such topic that is essential for students to learn early in their education. The most recent estimates from the CDC report that 102.1 per 1,000 women aged 15–44 will be pregnant. Teaching medical students the skills for pregnancy options counseling centers patient goals and prevents significant adverse outcomes, particularly those that come from being denied appropriate abortion counseling. In a previous assessment of student preparedness and interest, we found that Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) adequately covers family planning topics, but has gaps in abortion counseling during preclinical education. Our survey definitively showed that IUSM medical students are interested in learning about options counseling and feel unprepared to counsel about abortion; additionally, abortion counseling preparedness did not improve in our sample even after completing the OBGYN clerkship. Based on these findings, we sought to implement curriculum change in the form of a panel-based discussion that would improve student education and comfort with this crucial healthcare topic. STUDY OBJECTIVE: 1) Introduce options counseling education into IUSM preclinical reproductive education and 2) evaluate changes in student preparedness and 3) satisfaction with the panel discussion
METHODS: We used data from prior surveys that demonstrated high student interest and poor preparedness regarding complete options counseling to approach faculty regarding adding options counseling to preclinical curriculum. We subsequently collaborated with pre clinical education course faculty to design and implement a panel discussion about options counseling for the preclinical reproductive coure. We then developed a survey in Qualtrics to distribute to students following the panel. The survey has 17 questions including 3 free response prompts. The survey evaluates whether students feel prepared to provide options counseling after the panel, how well topics were covered, and satisfaction overall. RESULTS: The panel will take place on February 7, 2022 and the survey will be open for weeks after the panel, at which point we will analyze student responses. We expect that our post-panel survey will demonstrate increased preparedness to counsel patients about options during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Future panels and additional course development will fill gaps in preclinical education regarding options counseling, while expanding the skills of medical students. In addition, being prepared to offer patient centered care could better prepare students for clerkships and clinical experiences. This is a promising start to enhance preclinical education regarding women’s health
Association Between Maternal Infection and the Use of Cervical Ripening Balloons in Term PROM
Case-Based Options Counseling Panel to Supplement an Indiana Medical School’s Pre-Clinical Family Planning and Abortion Education Curriculum
Background: While 25% of US women will seek an abortion before age 45, targeted laws have led to a decline in abortion clinics, subsequently leaving 96% of Indiana counties and the 70% Hoosier women residing in these counties without access to services they desperately need.1,2 Despite the need for a physician workforce that is educated and able to provide full-spectrum reproductive health care, few medical institutions have a standardized family planning and abortion pre-clinical curriculum.
Methods: A Qualtrics survey was disseminated to students from Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) to evaluate (1) student interest in curriculum reform, (2) self-assessed preparedness to counsel on contraceptive and pregnancy options, and (3) preferred modality of instruction for family planning and abortion topics. Based on the pre-panel survey feedback, a case-based pregnancy options counseling panel will be implemented in the students’ pre-clinical, didactic course Endocrine, Reproductive, Musculoskeletal, Dermatologic Systems (ERMD) in February 2022. A Qualtrics post-panel survey will be disseminated to evaluate students’ perceived efficacy and quality of the panel, as well as their self-assessed preparedness to counsel on pregnancy options.
Results: Participants in the pre-panel survey (n=303) were primarily female (61.72%) and White (74.43%). Across all class levels, many (60.80%) students expected to learn about family planning and abortion in their pre-clinical education. While most (84-88%) participants felt prepared to counsel about common, non-controversial pharmacotherapies (e.g. beta-blockers and diuretics), only 20% of students felt prepared to counsel on abortion options. Overall, 85.67% of students believed that IUSM should enhance its reproductive health coverage in pre-clinical, didactic courses. Traditional lectures, panels, and direct clinical exposure were the most popular instructional modalities.
Expected Results: The authors predict that following the panel, students will indicate improved confidence in providing pregnancy options counseling. Additionally, students will provide constructive feedback on the structure and content of the panel for incorporation into future years’ curriculum.
Conclusions: IUSM students overwhelmingly expressed interest in expanding their pre-clinical curriculum’s coverage of family planning and abortion topics. To specifically improve students’ self-assessed preparedness to provide pregnancy options counseling and address students’ self-cited learning gaps, a case-based provider panel session will be implemented in response to students’ preferred modality feedback
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Are Newborn Outcomes Different for Term Babies Who Were Exposed to Antenatal Corticosteroids?
Background
Antenatal corticosteroids improve newborn outcomes for preterm infants. However, predicting which women presenting for threatened preterm labor will have preterm infants is inaccurate and many women receive antenatal corticosteroids but then go on to deliver at term.
Objective
The purpose of this study was to compare the short-term outcomes of infants born at term to women who received betamethasone (BMZ) for threatened preterm labor to infants who were not exposed to BMZ in utero.
Study Design
We performed a retrospective cohort study of infants born at or after 37 weeks’ gestational age (GA) to mothers diagnosed with threatened preterm labor during pregnancy. The primary neonatal outcomes of interest included transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN), neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, and small for gestational age (SGA), and were evaluated for their association with BMZ exposure while adjusting for covariates using multiple logistic regression.
Results
Of 5330 women, 1459 (27.5%) women received BMZ at a mean GA of 32.2±3.3 weeks. The mean age of women was 27±5.9 years-old and the mean GA at delivery was 38.9±1.1 weeks. Women receiving BMZ had higher rates of maternal comorbidities (P<0.001 for diabetes, asthma, and hypertensive disorder) and were more likely to self-identify as white (P=0.022). BMZ-exposed neonates had increased rates of TTN, NICU admission, SGA, hyperbilirubinemia, and hypoglycemia (all P-values <0.05). Controlling for maternal characteristics and GA at delivery, BMZ exposure was not significantly associated with diagnosis of TTN (aOR 1.10, 95% CI 0.80-1.51), though it was associated with more NICU admissions (aOR 1.49, 95% CI 1.19-1.86) and higher odds of the baby being small for gestational age (SGA, aOR 1.78, 95%CI 1.48 to 2.14).
Conclusions
Compared to women evaluated for preterm labor that did not receive BMZ, women receiving BMZ had infants with higher rates of NICU admission and SGA. While the benefits of BMZ to infants born preterm are clear, there may be negative impacts for infants delivered at term