Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions About Medicolegal Education: A Survey of OB/GYN Residents.

INTRODUCTION: Medicolegal concerns affect the career decisions of obstetrics/gynecology (OB/GYN) residents; however, their exposure to medicolegal education during residency training is virtually unknown. OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of medicolegal concepts among OB/GYN residents. METHODS: All residents in an accredited residency training program in OB/GYN in the United States during the 2017-2018 academic year were invited to complete an anonymous online survey. RESULTS: Of the 5152 OB/GYN residents invited to complete the survey; nearly 17% (n = 866) responded. Basic medicolegal knowledge was poor. Almost 60% of respondents (n = 500) could not identify malpractice as a form of tort liability. Among respondents, 44% (n = 378) reported receiving no medicolegal education during residency, 21% (n = 181) were unsure, and 34% (n = 293) reported receiving some education. Of those who reported receiving medicolegal education, the majority, 66% (n = 549), received it informally: by "word of mouth" or by "observing colleagues." Most (67%, n = 571) of the residents did not believe they had adequate exposure to medicolegal topics, and 19% (n = 163) were unsure. Ninety-two percent of residents (n = 782) reported concerns about being sued, and 67% (n = 571) believed that formal instruction during residency training may prevent lawsuits. CONCLUSION: Exposure to medicolegal topics during OB/GYN residency training is very limited and unstructured. This study showed that residents desire a more formalized medicolegal curriculum during postgraduate training and that implementation may have several benefits.

Postcoital vaginal rupture in a young woman with no prior pelvic surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Reports of postcoital vaginal rupture in the literature are limited to cases involving women who are postmenopausal, have recently undergone pelvic surgery, or have suffered genitourinary trauma. AIM: We report a case of postcoital vaginal rupture in a 23-year-old woman with no prior surgical history who complained of acute onset, severe vaginal pain after consensual intercourse. RESULTS: Examination under anesthesia revealed a 6-cm laceration of the posterior fornix, which extended into the abdominal cavity. The laceration was repaired using a combined vaginal and laparoscopic approach. CONCLUSIONS: Coitus-induced vaginal rupture in a reproductive aged woman with no prior pelvic surgery or other risk factors is a rare clinical presentation. Prior reports of rupture in premenopausal women have recommended repair via laparotomy. This case documents successful transvaginal and laparoscopic repair, and reviews the etiological mechanisms for coitus-induced injury.

Chlamydia trachomatis Infection in minority adolescent women: a public health challenge.

UNLABELLED: Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United States. This disease disproportionately affects adolescent minority women, and untreated infection can lead to lasting reproductive tract morbidity. Recommendations for primary prevention include patient counseling to decrease risky behavior and increase barrier protection use; secondary prevention recommendations include screening and treatment of affected individuals and their sexual partners, barrier contraception use, as well as counseling to decrease behaviors that lead to reinfection. Despite these strategies, both incidence and prevalence of Chlamydia have continued to escalate in this population. Interventions to decrease chlamydial infection should encompass all facets of primary and secondary prevention as well as address the fundamental barrier to prevention-lack of perception of risk in this young age group. TARGET AUDIENCE: Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Family Physicians. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After completion of this educational activity, the obstetrician/gynecologist should be better able to identify current screening guidelines to test for chlamydial infection in sexually active adolescents; obtain more thorough sexual histories, and understand dynamics of disproportionate disease burden in minority teens; recognize and act to decrease the high risk of reinfection in this patient population; and employ novel methods to increase STI screening.

Tubo-ovarian abscess: diagnosis, medical and surgical management.

Tubo-ovarian abscess (TOA), a serious manifestation of pelvic inflammatory disease, has been treated with aggressive surgical therapy. With improvements in antibiotic therapy, laparoscopic surgery and interventional radiological techniques have lessened the need for radical surgical treatment in stable patients.