Presents examples of successful and unsuccessful legal claims in obstetrics and gynaecology with best practice guidance to avoid litigation.

This book highlights minimum standards relating to the management of different conditions in the practice of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The editors explore clinical governance issues, common causes of as well as ways to avoid litigation. The UK is experiencing a dramatic increase in medico-legal claims. The 4 main reasons for litigation are: accountability, the need for an explanation, concern with standards of care and compensation. However the decision to take legal action is determined not only by the original injury, but failure to provide information, an explanation and an apology. Insensitive handling of an injury and poor communication after the original incident increases the risk of litigation and erodes the patient-doctor relationship. Doctors almost never deliberately cause harm to patients, however increasingly claims are being defended successfully. This book is invaluable to clinicians and lawyers alike and raises awareness of how to avoid facing clinical negligence claims in our day to day practice.

Few specialties have a longer or richer eponymous background than obstetrics and gynaecology. Eponyms add a human side to an increasingly technical profession and represent the historic tradition and language of the speciality. This collection aims to perpetuate the names and contributions of pioneers and offer introductory profiles to the founders in whose steps we follow. This third edition includes 26 new entries, as well as expanded detail, illustration and quotation for existing entries. Biographical data and historical and medical context are discussed for each of the 391 names, with reference to 34 countries, reflecting the field's far reaching origins. More than 1700 original references feature, alongside an extensive bibliography of more than 2500 linked references to assist readers searching for more detailed information. This is a volume for physicians, midwives, medical historians, medical ethicists and all those interested in the history and evolution of obstetrical and gynaecological treatment.

Global and national confidential inquiry reports show that 60 to 80% of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality are due to avoidable errors. This comprehensive and illustrated second edition offers a practical guide to the management of obstetric, medical, surgical, anaesthetic and newborn emergencies in addition to organisational and training issues. The book is divided conveniently into nine sections and updated throughout in line with modern research and practice. Several new chapters cover setting up skills and drills training in maternity services to reduce avoidable harm, managing obstetric emergencies during 'home births' and in low-risk midwifery units, and minimizing maternal and fetal morbidity in failed operative vaginal delivery. Each chapter includes a practical algorithm for quick reference, the scientific basis for proposed actions, a case-based practical exercise and useful learning tools such as 'Key Pearls' and 'Key Pitfalls'. An invaluable resource for obstetricians, neonatologists, midwives, medical students, anesthesiologists and the wider perinatal team.

This book provides a history of childbearing in the British Isles from 1540 to the high-tech deliveries of today.

Getting the right diagnosis is a key aspect of health care - it provides an explanation of a patient's health problem and informs subsequent health care decisions. The diagnostic process is a complex, collaborative activity that involves clinical reasoning and information gathering to determine a patient's health problem. According to Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, diagnostic errors-inaccurate or delayed diagnoses-persist throughout all settings of care and continue to harm an unacceptable number of patients. It is likely that most people will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime, sometimes with devastating consequences. Diagnostic errors may cause harm to patients by preventing or delaying appropriate treatment, providing unnecessary or harmful treatment, or resulting in psychological or financial repercussions. The committee concluded that improving the diagnostic process is not only possible, but also represents a moral, professional, and public health imperative. Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, a continuation of the landmark Institute of Medicine reports To Err Is Human (2000) and Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), finds that diagnosis-and, in particular, the occurrence of diagnostic errorsâ€"has been largely unappreciated in efforts to improve the quality and safety of health care. Without a dedicated focus on improving diagnosis, diagnostic errors will likely worsen as the delivery of health care and the diagnostic process continue to increase in complexity. Just as the diagnostic process is a collaborative activity, improving diagnosis will require collaboration and a widespread commitment to change among health care professionals, health care organizations, patients and their families, researchers, and policy makers. The recommendations of Improving Diagnosis in Health Care contribute to the growing momentum for change in this crucial area of health care quality and safety.

This book offers a comprehensive and clinically practical approach to ethics in the everyday practice of obstetrics and gynecology. The topics the authors address include: contraception, abortion, selective termination of multifetal pregnancies, gynecologic cancer, in vitro fertilization, surrogacy, prenatal diagnosis, fetal therapy, cephalocentisis, prematurity, HIV infection, and court ordered cesarean delivery. The issues involved in making decisions in many of these areas are a source of conflict, and lead to crisis between the physician and patient. One of the book's strengths is its emphasis on prevention and, if prevention fails, management, of the conflicts and crises which arise in these areas of medicine. The authors develop their preventative and management strategies on the basis of a framework for bioethics in the clinical setting. This framework is rigorously established and defended. The authors argue that four virtues -- self effacement, self sacrifice, compassion, and integrity -- generate the physician's obligation to protect and promote the patient's interest. They then identify the three types of patient's interests -- social role interests, subjective interests, and deliberative interests -- and they reinterpret the ethical principles of beneficence and respect for autonomy in terms of these. The concept of the fetus as patient, the physician's obligation to third parties, and the moral standing of fathers and family members are also addressed. The implications of their argument sets the stage for the discussions of prevention and management in the remaining sections of the book. Ethics in Obstetrics and Gynecology is a unique addition to the literature in both biomedical ethics and obstetrics and gynecology. It demonstrates that ethics should be regarded as an essential part of obstetrics and gynecology, and that clinical practice is incomplete without i

This authoritative textbook provides a much-needed guide for postgraduate trainees preparing for the European Board and College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (EBCOG) Fellowship examination. Published in association with EBCOG, it fully addresses the competencies defined by the EBCOG curriculum and builds the clinical practice related to these competencies upon the basic science foundations. Volume 1 covers the depth and breadth of obstetrics, and draws on the specialist knowledge of four highly experienced Editors and over 100 contributors from across Europe, reflecting the high-quality training needed to ensure the safety and quality of healthcare for women and their babies. It incorporates key international guidelines throughout, along with colour diagrams and photographs for easy understanding. This is an invaluable resource, not only for postgraduate trainees planning to sit the EFOG examination, but also for practising specialists looking to update their knowledge and skills to meet the ever-evolving complexity of clinical practice.

This book is a complete guide to the diagnosis and management of gynaecological diseases and disorders for trainees in the field. Beginning with an overview of anatomy and physiology, and the functions of different parts of the gynaecological system, the following sections cover numerous disorders and their treatment. Several chapters are dedicated to ultrasound and robotics in gynaecology. This ninth edition has been fully revised and includes many new topics to provide trainees with the latest information and advances in the field. Authored by recognised experts, the comprehensive text is further enhanced by clinical photographs, diagrams, flowcharts and tables to assist learning. Key points Comprehensive guide to diagnosis and management of gynaecological disorders Fully revised, ninth edition featuring many new topics Highly illustrated with clinical photographs, diagrams, flowcharts and tables Previous edition (9789351521495) published in 2014