Page 10 - OB Risks - Delivering the Goods (Part Two)

SVMIC Obstetrics Risks: Delivering the Goods

• Use ultrasound and serial hCG levels to determine early

detection and non-invasive treatment.

• If your patient has ectopic pregnancy risk factors, explain

the condition and treatment methods.

• Make sure your employees are educated about ectopic
pregnancy risk factors so calls from a patient suffering

those symptoms can be routed accordingly. You should
consider developing a protocol where certain symptoms –

such as vaginal bleeding – trigger a certain response.

• Document everything carefully and thoroughly in the

medical record.

• Make sure you follow up with the results of all testing and

contact the patient regarding the results. 17 18

Your patient may experience strong emotions after a pregnancy
loss. Many women blame themselves or look outward to project

blame, which put the physician at risk of liability. It is not unusual
for a patient and family to experience grief and depression

from the loss of a pregnancy at any stage, and this depression
and emotional pain and suffering can be part of a claim for

malpractice. Consider a referral for grief and depression
counseling or for group support to help the patient and family.

Until a definitive diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy has been
made, the treatment course should be to follow the patient

closely. Otherwise, the premature diagnosis could lead to
19
termination of a viable fetus and a claim against the physician as

in the following case study.

17 ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 191:tubalectopicpregnancy
18 https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/pages/articleviewer.
aspx?year=2018&issue=02000&article=00038&type=Fulltext
19 https://psychcentral.com/lib/emotions-surrounding-pregnancy-loss/

Page 10