ACOG Poll on OB/GYN Practices

More than 600 OB/GYNs attended the President’s Program to kick off the 2010 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) annual meeting in San Francisco, May 15-19. Using an electronic polling system, President Gerald F. Joseph, Jr, received the following responses from attendees:

Obstetrics
82% practice obstetrics

Perinatal depression
52% screen for perinatal depression; of these:

• 7% use the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
• 50% use another tool

Cosmetic procedures
93% do not offer cosmetic procedures in their practices; of those who do:

• 1% offer laser hair removal
• 1% offer Botox
• 0% offer spider vein removal
• 5% offer some other cosmetic treatment or a combination of these

Natural supplements
89% do not offer natural supplements in their practice; of the 3% who do offer them:

• 2% offer skinceuticals
• 3% offer prescription products
• 3% offer some combination of these

Smartphones and PDAs
45% do not use a PDA or smartphone at the point of care; of those who do:

• 15% use a BlackBerry
• 25% use an iPhone
• 7% use a Palm
• 8% use another type of smartphone

Electronic medical records

• 65% have implemented electronic medical records (EMRs) in their practices
• 14% plan to implement EMRs in their practices within the next year