Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Jul;207(1):73.e1-5.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2012.04.023. Epub 2012 Apr 28.

Obstetrician-gynecologists, religious institutions, and conflicts regarding patient-care policies

Debra B Stulberg  1 , Annie M Dude, Irma Dahlquist, Farr A Curlin
Affiliations

Obstetrician-gynecologists, religious institutions, and conflicts regarding patient-care policies

Debra B Stulberg et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2012 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess how common it is for obstetrician-gynecologists who work in religiously affiliated hospitals or practices to experience conflict with those institutions over religiously based policies for patient care and to identify the proportion of obstetrician-gynecologists who report that their hospitals restrict their options for the treatment of ectopic pregnancy.

Study design: We mailed a survey to a nationally representative sample of 1800 practicing obstetrician-gynecologists.

Results: The response rate was 66%. Among obstetrician-gynecologists who practice in religiously affiliated institutions, 37% have had a conflict with their institution over religiously based policies. These conflicts are most common in Catholic institutions (52%; adjusted odds ratio, 8.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-46.2). Few reported that their options for treating ectopic pregnancy are limited by their hospitals (2.5% at non-Catholic institutions vs 5.5% at Catholic institutions; P = .07).

Conclusion: Many obstetrician-gynecologists who practice in religiously affiliated institutions have had conflicts over religiously based policies. The effects of these conflicts on patient care and outcomes are an important area for future research.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: None of the authors have a conflict of interest

References

    1. Uttley L, Pawelko R. Albany, NY: MergerWatch; 2002. [Accessed Jan. 23, 2012]. No strings attached: Public funding of religiously-sponsored hospitals in the United States. Available at: http://www.mergerwatch.org/storage/pdf-files/bp_no_strings_hilights.pdf.
    1. Catholic Health Association of the United States. Fast facts. [Accessed Jan. 23, 2012];2011 Available at: http://www.chausa.org/Pages/Newsroom/Fast_Facts/
    1. Modern Healthcare's 2011 Hospital System Survey. [Accessed Jan. 12, 2012]; Available at: http://www.modernhealthcare.com/section/lists?djoPage=product_details&dj....
    1. Stein R. Reproductive care restrictions at Catholic hospitals spark conflict, scrutiny. Washington Post. 2011 A01.
    1. Stulberg DB, Lawrence RE, Shattuck J, Curlin FA. Religious hospitals and primary care physicians: Conflict over policies for patient care. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2010;25(7):725–730. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types