Virtual Obstetric Emergency Simulations: Enhancing Knowledge, Skills, and Confidence of Emergency Medicine and Obstetric Professionals.

Objective:  Between 2008 and 2016, 23% of pregnancy-related deaths in Ohio occurred in an emergency department (ED) or outpatient setting. Prior research showed that 98% of Ohio's delivery hospitals conduct obstetric (OB) emergency simulations, whereas only 30% include ED staff. The goal of the grant was to increase the knowledge, skill, and self-efficacy of emergency medicine (EM) professionals in managing OB emergencies.

Using simulation to train clinical providers in the effective use of telehealth.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth became a widely used method to provide patient care. Providers had to quickly learn how to adapt traditional clinical care to the virtual environment. The existing literature focuses on the technological aspects of telehealth with only a few publications addressing optimization of communication, with even fewer looking at the use of simulation to fill the knowledge gap in this area.

Examination of a death due to cardiomyopathy by a maternal mortality review committee.

Deaths related to pregnancy were relatively common in the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century. A dramatic reduction of 99% in maternal mortality rate, from 850.0-7.

The frequency and complication rates of hysterectomy accompanying cesarean delivery.

Objective: To estimate the frequency, indications, and complications of cesarean hysterectomy.

Methods: This was a prospective, 2-year observational study at 13 academic medical centers conducted between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2000, on all women who underwent a hysterectomy at the time of cesarean delivery. Data were abstracted from the medical record by study nurses.

The clinical content of preconception care: the use of medications and supplements among women of reproductive age.

The use of prescription and over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements are common among women of reproductive age. For medications, little information about the teratogenic risks or safety is available, as pregnant women are traditionally excluded from clinical trials, and premarketing animal studies do not necessarily predict the effects of treatment in human pregnancy. Even less is typically known about the effects of dietary supplements on pregnancy outcomes, as they are not held to the same rigorous safety and efficacy standards as prescription medications.

The clinical content of preconception care: nutrition and dietary supplements.

Women of child-bearing age should achieve and maintain good nutritional status prior to conception to help minimize health risks to both mothers and infants. Many women may not be aware of the importance of preconception nutrition and supplementation or have access to nutrition information. Health care providers should be knowledgeable about preconception/pregnancy-related nutrition and take the initiative to discuss this information during preconception counseling.

The clinical content of preconception care: women with chronic medical conditions.

This article reviews the medical conditions that are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes for women and their offspring. We also present the degree to which specific preconception interventions and treatments can impact the effects of the condition on birth outcomes. Because avoiding, delaying, or achieving optimal timing of a pregnancy is often an important component of the preconception care of women with medical conditions, contraceptive considerations particular to the medical conditions are also presented.