Behavior That Undermines a Culture of Safety

Committee Opinion Number 683, January 2017

(Replaces Committee Opinion Number 508, October 2011) (Reaffirmed 2019)

ABSTRACT: A key element of an organizational safety culture is maintaining an environment of professionalism that encourages communication and promotes high-quality care. Behavior that undermines a culture of safety, including disruptive or intimidating behavior, has a negative effect on the quality and safety of patient care. Intimidating behavior and disruptive behavior are unprofessional and should not be tolerated. Confronting disruptive individuals is difficult. Co-workers often are reluctant to report disruptive behavior because of fear of retaliation and the stigma associated with “bl...

Immunization Implementation Strategies for Obstetrician–Gynecologists

Committee Opinion Number 772, March 2019

(Replaces Committee Opinion Number 661, April 2016)

ABSTRACT: Immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases is an essential component of women’s primary and preventive health care. Many studies have shown that a recommendation from an obstetrician–gynecologist or other health care provider for a vaccine is one of the strongest influences on patient acceptance. Obstetrician–gynecologists and other health care providers should develop a standard process for assessing and documenting the vaccination status of patients and for recommending and administering vaccines. If allowed by state law, obstetrician–gynecologists and other health care pro...

The Importance of Vital Records and Statistics for the Obstetrician-Gynecologist

Committee Opinion Number 748, August 2018

(Replaces Committee Opinion Number 639, September 2015)(Reaffirmed 2019)

ABSTRACT: Information from vital records is critical to identify and quantify health-related issues and to measure progress toward quality improvement and public health goals. In particular, maternal and infant mortality serve as important indicators of the nation’s health, thereby influencing policy development, funding of programs and research, and measures of health care quality. Accurate and timely documentation of births and deaths is essential to high-quality vital statistics. This Committee Opinion describes the process by which births, maternal deaths, and fetal deaths are registered;...

Ethical Decision Making in Obstetrics and Gynecology

Committee Opinion Number 390, December 2007

Reaffirmed 2019

ABSTRACT: Physicians vary widely in their familiarity with ethical theories and methods and their sensitivity toward ethical issues. It is important for physicians to improve their skills in addressing ethical questions. Obstetrician–gynecologists who are familiar with the concepts of medical ethics will be better able to approach complex ethical situations in a clear and structured way. By considering the ethical frameworks involving principles, virtues, care and feminist perspectives, concern for community, and case precedents, they can enhance their ability to make ethically justifiable cl...

Empathy in Womens Health Care

Committee Opinion Number 480, March 2011

Reaffirmed 2017

ABSTRACT: Empathy is the process through which one attempts to project oneself into another's life and imagine a situation from his or her point of view. Most individuals do have an innate capacity to show empathy toward others. Empathy is as important to being a good physician as technical competence. However, at times the health care environment and educational process overly emphasize technological competence, curing disease rather than healing the patient, or the economic aspects of medicine. This may interfere with an empathic approach in the clinical setting. In this Committee Opinion, ...

The Limits of Conscientious Refusal in Reproductive Medicine

Committee Opinion Number 385, November 2007

Reaffirmed 2019

ABSTRACT: Health care providers occasionally may find that providing indicated, even standard, care would present for them a personal moral problem—a conflict of conscience—particularly in the field of reproductive medicine. Although respect for conscience is important, conscientious refusals should be limited if they constitute an imposition of religious or moral beliefs on patients, negatively affect a patient's health, are based on scientific misinformation, or create or reinforce racial or socioeconomic inequalities. Conscientious refusals that conflict with patient well-being should be a...

Adolescent Confidentiality and Electronic Health Records

Committee Opinion Number 599, May 2014

(Reaffirmed 2018)

ABSTRACT: Confidentiality concerns are heightened during adolescence, and these concerns can be a critical barrier to adolescents in receiving appropriate health care. Health care providers caring for minors should be aware of federal and state laws that affect confidentiality. State statutes on the rights of minors to consent to health care services vary by state, and health care providers should be familiar with the regulations that apply to their practice. Parents and adolescents should be informed, both separately and together, that the information each of them shares with the health care...

Legislative Interference

Approved by the Executive Board May 2013; Revised and reaffirmed

Government serves a valuable role in the protection of public health and safety and the provision of essential health services. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (the College) and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) support this proper role of government. Laws that veer from these functions and unduly interfere with patient-physician relationships are not appropriate. Absent a substantial public.

Importance of Social Determinants of Health and Cultural Awareness in the Delivery of Reproductive Health Care

Committee Opinion Number 729, January 2018

(Replaces Committee Opinion Number 493, May 2011)

ABSTRACT: Awareness of the broader contexts that influence health supports respectful, patient-centered care that incorporates lived experiences, optimizes health outcomes, improves communication, and can help reduce health and health care inequities. Although there is little doubt that genetics and lifestyle play an important role in shaping the overall health of individuals, interdisciplinary researchers have demonstrated how the conditions in the environment in which people are born, live, work, and age, play equally as important a role in shaping health outcomes. These factors, referred t...