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The influence of obstetricians on the utilization of amniocentesis
Author(s) -
Bernhardt Barbara A.,
Bannerman Robin M.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
prenatal diagnosis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.956
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1097-0223
pISSN - 0197-3851
DOI - 10.1002/pd.1970020207
Subject(s) - obstetrics and gynaecology , certification , referral , amniocentesis , medicine , family medicine , board certification , prenatal care , obstetrics , pregnancy , gynecology , medical education , prenatal diagnosis , residency training , continuing education , law , population , political science , environmental health , fetus , genetics , biology
A study of 173 Western New York State obstetricians was undertaken to study referral patterns for second‐trimester amniocentesis in 1974–1978. Referral patterns were analysed in relation to obstetrician age, religion, board certification, hospital affiliation and practice location. Forty‐seven per cent of the obstetricians had never referred a patient for amniocentesis. Those referring were overall younger than those not referring and were significantly more often board certified. Obstetrician religion was significantly related to referral with fewer Catholic obstetricians referring. Hospital affiliation (teaching versus non‐teaching) and obstetrician practice location (urban versus rural) were not important factors after controlling for religion and board certification. Obstetrician factors account for a small but important part of the variability in referral, and other factors, such as cost and access to laboratory and obstetric care need further investigation.