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The
ACOG Statement of Policy on Practice Relations between Obstetricians and
Midwives
On October 1, 2002, ACOG and the American College of Nurse-Midwives re-issued
a joint statement concerning the relationships between obstetrician and
midwives. Key elements in this statement include the provision of practice
guidelines, ongoing communication, and accountability. eNATAL is the ideal
solution to facilitate the delivery of consistent care, communication, and
periodic evaluation in collaborative practices.
As an integral part of eNATAL's clinical decision support system, dozens
of default protocols for specific pregnancy risks are provided for review,
agreement, and customization by each practice. For example, if any patient
is found to be anemic, the practice may have chosen that the patient should
have a repeat blood count at 28 weeks, consult a dietician, obtain iron
studies, receive iron supplementation, etc. These reminders will be automatically
added to that patient's individualized care plan and will be activated
at appropriate times during her pregnancy. This kind of assistance will
assure that the care intended for each patient is actually delivered -
no matter who sees the patient.
Because the eNATAL record can be accessed from any location with an Internet
connection, collaboration and evaluation of care becomes almost trivial.
The current prenatal record can be viewed 24 hours a day and simultaneously
with other caregivers regardless of whether they are in the same office
or even the same city. The concept of a physician and midwife discussing
a patient on the phone while both parties have full access to the complete
prenatal record is unprecedented.
At his/her convenience, a supervising physician can also review care,
make annotations about interventions, or suggest management for individual
patients. When the patient is seen by her primary provider, these annotations
are automatically brought to the primary's attention.
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