Interpersonal & Communication Skills

Electronic Fetal Monitoring Case Studies #4: Neonatal Encephalopathy

New guidelines outlined in the ACOG & AAP Task Force Report on Neonatal Encephalopathy (NNE) include scientific updates on specific fetal heart rate patterns, sentinel events, and newborn assessment indicators that may indicate an acute intrapartum hypoxic-ischemic injury that leads…

Electronic Fetal Monitoring Case Studies #3: Standard Terms & Guidelines

Over 90% of obstetric-related malpractice involves EFM negligence. EFM-related malpractice claims decrease in facilities that adopt, implement, and consistently use standardized EFM terms and guidelines. Universal adoption of standardized nomenclature by every practitioner skilled in EFM is a national goal….

Electronic Fetal Monitoring Case Studies #2: EFM Triage

The majority of obstetric triage encounters include an assessment of both mother and fetus but under certain conditions, clinical data may be unavailable. EFM triage is a skill of necessity that includes a brief and rapid assessment of fetal heart…

Patient Satisfaction Ratings: Is There a Punchline for Physicians

H-CAHPS and CG-CAHPS are patient satisfaction surveys in the hospital and office settings. They are being collected, published and used by payers in determining hospital and physician reimbursement. Criticisms have been raised about the validity of the surveys and their…

Jousting Mistake: Blaming Other Providers

Every physician in medical practice has at some time seen situations of patient past medical care that seemed inappropriate. In such situations physicians are immediately placed in the position of determining the immediate requirement for continuing medical care and the…

Electronic Fetal Monitoring Case Studies #1: OP Malpresentation

Occiput posterior (OP) malpresentation occurs 15-25% at term and 5-12% at birth, increases risk of surgical birth, and frequency coincides with category II or III FHR patterns. In an effort to reduce cesarean births, non-invasive and invasive rotational measures may…

UpToDate

UpToDate is an electronic learning tool that provides current, authoritative, and clinically focused information available on 10,000+ topics covering 22+ medical specialties. We integrate the best evidence with clinical experience to produce practical and detailed topics to answer physicians’ questions…

From Autonomy to Teamwork

Physicians are trained to be autonomous in thoughts and deeds. But health care is collaborative, requiring skills as a team member and as a team leader. Highly reliable care involves understanding how each individual makes mistakes, how we can be…

Physician in Management: Resolving Conflict

Experts say some conflict is healthy, and they’re right. When not managed well, however, conflict can become disruptive and lead to medical errors, poor patient satisfaction, increased cost and higher turnover. Learn the skills you need to make conflict productive….