Nonurgent and urgent emergency department use during pregnancy: an observational study

Emergency department use is common among pregnant women. Non-urgent emergency department use may represent care that would be better provided by an established obstetric provider in an ambulatory setting

Randomised controlled trial comparing hypnotherapy versus gabapentin for the treatment of hot flashes in breast cancer survivors: a pilot study

Objectives: To compare the efficacy of hypnotherapy versus gabapentin for the treatment of hot flashes in breast cancer survivors, and to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a clinical trial comparing a drug with a complementary or alternative method (CAM). Design: Prospective randomised trial. Setting: Breast health centre of a tertiary care centre. Participants: 15 women with a personal history of breast cancer or an increased risk of breast cancer who reported at least one daily hot flash. Interventions Gabapentin 900 mg daily in three divided doses (control) compared with standardised hypnotherapy. Participation lasted 8 weeks. Outcome measures The primary endpoints were the number of daily hot flashes and hot flash severity score (HFSS). The secondary endpoint was the Hot Flash Related Daily Interference Scale (HFRDIS). Results: 27 women were randomised and 15 (56%) were considered evaluable for the primary endpoint (n=8 gabapentin, n=7 hypnotherapy). The median number of daily hot flashes at enrolment was 4.5 in the gabapentin arm and 5 in the hypnotherapy arm. HFSS scores were 7.5 in the gabapentin arm and 10 in the hypnotherapy arm. After 8 weeks, the median number of daily hot flashes was reduced by 33.3% in the gabapentin arm and by 80% in the hypnotherapy arm. The median HFSS was reduced by 33.3% in the gabapentin arm and by 85% in the hypnotherapy arm. HFRDIS scores improved by 51.6% in the gabapentin group and by 55.2% in the hypnotherapy group. There were no statistically significant differences between groups. Conclusions: Hypnotherapy and gabapentin demonstrate efficacy in improving hot flashes. A definitive trial evaluating traditional interventions against CAM methods is feasible, but not without challenges. Further studies aimed at defining evidence-based recommendations for CAM are necessary. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00711529)

Well-being in trainee and faculty physicians.

Background: Physician well-being remains a critical topic with limited information concerning the impact of the progression of training and duty hours. To date, our knowledge and interventions have not adequately addressed these issues. We assessed differences in well-being across the USA: (1) between all post-graduate trainees and their academic core faculty; (2) between all obstetrics and gynecology trainees and their academic core faculty and (3) during the progression of training within obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN).Methods: A cross-sectional study analyzing responses to well-being questions included in the 2017–2018 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) surveys given to all U.S. trainees and core faculty. Results: More than 85% of all U.S. physician-trainees and faculty surveyed responded. Respondents included 128,443 trainees from all specialties combined, 5,206 OB/GYN residents and 799 OB/GYN subspecialty fellows. A total of 94,557 faculty from all specialties combined, 4,082 general OB/GYN faculty and 1,432 sub-specialty OB/GYN faculty responded. Trainees were more negative than faculty for the majority of questions for both all trainees combined and within OB/GYN when progressing from resident to subspecialty fellow to subspecialty faculty (p ≤ 0.05). Questions focusing on work satisfaction (e.g., pride in work) were more negative for residents compared to fellows and for fellows compared to faculty. In contrast to work satisfaction, responses to the question ‘Felt the amount of work you were expected to complete in a day was reasonable’ showed either no difference or higher scores for trainees compared to their faculty. Conclusions: Although an issue for all physicians, well-being impacts trainees more, and differently, than faculty and well-being improves during training from resident to fellow to faculty. Survey responses suggest that interventions should focus on workplace satisfaction over workplace environment areas and further limitations in duty hours are unlikely to improve physician well-being

Patient and provider perceptions of sleep disordered breathing assessment during prenatal care: a survey-based observational study

Objectives: Screening for sleep disordered breathing (SDB) remains poor in the general population, despite evidence for association with adverse outcomes and improvement of certain outcomes with therapy. Data from the past decade have suggested an association between snoring and adverse pregnancy outcomes including gestational hypertensive disorders. However, it is unclear how often SDB is screened for in pregnancy. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether, and how, symptoms of SDB are assessed during prenatal care. Methods: This study was designed as a survey-based observational study. Within 48 hours of delivery, English-speaking patients were surveyed regarding prenatal conversations with obstetric providers about symptoms of SDB. During a similar time period, obstetric providers completed an anonymous questionnaire regarding how often they discussed the same symptoms during prenatal visits. Results: A total of 776 patients and 80 providers performing the majority of deliveries at the same hospital answered the survey. Nurse providers asked about sleep quality significantly more often than physician providers; however, responses to questions about snoring were similar in both groups. Resident physicians were the least likely to ask about sleep quality. Less than 3% of providers reported asking about snoring, closely matching patient responses. A total of 44% of patients surveyed were overweight and 21.7% were obese. Although 32% of patients snored, only 5% were asked about snoring during a prenatal visit. Obese women and women with a history of gestational hypertensive disorders were more likely to report being asked about snoring. Conclusions: Based on patient and obstetric provider recollections of discussions, the issue of SDB is poorly assessed during routine prenatal care, despite an increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in the pregnant population

Maternal education and its association with maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes in live births conceived using medically assisted reproduction (MAR)

Abstract Background To examine the association between maternal education and adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in women who conceived using medically assisted reproduction, which included fertility medications, intrauterine insemination, or in vitro fertilization. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study utilizing the US Vital Statistics data set on national birth certificates from 2016 to 2020. Women with live, non-anomalous singletons who conceived using MAR and had education status of the birthing female partner recorded were included. Patients were stratified into two groups: bachelor’s degree or higher, or less than a bachelor’s degree. The primary outcome was a composite of maternal adverse outcomes: intensive care unit (ICU) admission, uterine rupture, unplanned hysterectomy, or blood transfusion. The secondary outcome was a composite of neonatal adverse outcomes: neonatal ICU admission, ventilator support, or seizure. Multivariable modified Poisson regression models with robust error variance adjusted for maternal age, race, marital status, prenatal care, smoking during pregnancy, neonatal sex, and birth year estimated the relative risk (RR) of outcomes with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results 190,444 patients met the inclusion criteria: 142,943 had a bachelor’s degree or higher and 47,501 were without a bachelor’s degree. Composite maternal adverse outcomes were similar among patients with a bachelor’s degree (10.1 per 1,000 live births) and those without a bachelor’s degree (9.4 per 1,000 live births); ARR 1.05, 95% CI (0.94–1.17). However, composite adverse neonatal outcomes were significantly lower in women with a bachelor’s degree or higher (94.1 per 1,000 live births) compared to women without a bachelor’s degree (105.9 per 1,000 live births); ARR 0.91, 95% CI (0.88–0.94). Conclusions Our study demonstrated that lower maternal education level was not associated with maternal adverse outcomes in patients who conceived using MAR but was associated with increased rates of neonatal adverse outcomes. As access to infertility care increases, patients who conceive with MAR may be counseled that education level is not associated with maternal morbidity. Further research into the association between maternal education level and neonatal morbidity is indicated