The Knowledge and Attitudes of Labor Interventions (KALI) Project

Objectives. To examine the attitudes and practices towards different labor interventions among obstetrician / gynecologists (“ob/gyns”) and to determine whether they correspond with current treatment guidelines. Background. Ob/gyns use many labor and delivery interventions at varying rates, which do not correlate with the strength of recommendations from organized professional groups. Understanding practitioners’ attitudes and barriers for use of interventions shown to be effective in improving clinical outcomes and can improve practice patterns. Methods. A new survey tool, based on publications by ACOG and other professional organizations, was created to be completed anonymously by practicing ob/gyns in South Florida. It will evaluate knowledge of current guidelines, attitudes towards different interventions, barriers and facilitators for adoption of effective delivery interventions. 14 Subjects will be recruited by respondent driven sampling using NSU faculty, alumni and mentors of students participating in ob/gyn rotations as initiators of the sampling among colleagues. Results. The project has received IRB approval and will begin data collection in November, 2009. We anticipate including at least 100 completed surveys in the analysis for the research day presentation. We will present frequency distributions of participant responses as well as bivariate and multivariate correlates of the principal intervention outcomes, e.g. adopting pregnancy interventions supported by practice guidelines. Conclusion. We will use the data to inform South Florida obstetricians about disparities between their practice patterns and professional standard of care recommendations. Grants. None