| Professional Contributor |
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| Denise Snow |
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is a Certified Nurse-Midwife. As a midwife, she worked in a
variety of settings- a free standing birth center, a private practice, a
clinic practice and a large HMO multispecialty practice. During that
time she saw thousands of pregnant patients and safely delivered over
800 babies. Currently, she is an Associate Clinical Professor of
Midwifery and Women's Health Nurse Practitioners at Stony Brook
University. She is also a practicing public interest attorney assisting
people with their health related legal needs. |
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| OB-GYN Review |
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Here is list of areas of interest that have been compiled through the
shared experiences of pregnant women and their families. Some of these
questions may be very important while others are of limited concern.
The most important areas to look at first are the issues of who takes
care of you when you need to be seen, and how do you get in touch with
someone after the office is closed. There is nothing more frustrating
than to place an anxious call to your doctor or midwife and then wait
hours for a return call.
The philosophical questions are very important since you want a provider
who matches your personality. As a midwife, I focused on normal and
variations of normal in pregnancy and kept a low tech, high touch
approach for safe and satisfying care. However, this approach would not
suit a woman who places high value on technology.
Personality is very important in the doctor/ patient relationship. For
example, would you want your doctor/provider to remain calm under all
circumstances? For some patients, that translates into "she is not
taking me seriously". While some patients feel protected and safe when
their provider calmly and cautiously explains the pros and cons of
management options, other patients feel more protected if their provider
demonstrates a sense of urgency.
The prospective patient should keep in mind that obstetricians and
midwives are generally stretched thin with time. This is because they
have office hours and they are on call to deliver babies around the
clock. Even the best run office sometimes runs late with appointments
because of emergencies. But even in cases where you may be kept waiting
to see the doctor or midwife, you should be rewarded by having your
questions answered and achieving a sense of empowerment about yourself
and your pregnancy! |
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 Types of Doctors |
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| List Referral Questions |
| 1. Are the people at the "front desk" friendly? |
| 2. How long is the usual wait to see the provider? |
| 3. Does the provider listen to your concerns and take the time to discuss problems with you? |
| 4. Do you feel exams with the provider are rushed? |
| 5. Does the practice seem organized and well managed? |
| 6. How long does it take the provider to call back regarding non-emergency questions? |
| 7. Do you feel you were well taken care of during your labor and delivery? |
| 8. What do you dislike the most about the provider? |
| 9. What do you like the most about the provider? |
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