Current status of obstetrics and gynecology resident medical-legal education - A survey of program directors

OBJECTIVE: To assess the level and type of medical-legal education offered to obstetrics and gynecology residents and medical students. METHODS: All obstetrics and gynecology program directors (n = 252) were asked to complete a survey questioning the availability of, type of, and desire for medical-legal education within their programs. RESULTS: Seventy-eight percent of the program directors answered the survey with 86% reporting some degree of formal medical-legal education. The most common formats were didactic lectures (38%), grand rounds (30%), case conferences (19%), mock trials (9%), and other (4%). These sessions most commonly contained information on proper documentation (48%), testifying (25%), and giving a deposition (24%). The average number of sessions per year was 4.1 with a median of 3 sessions per year. Despite this high percentage of some formal education, 88% expressed an interest in pursuing other educational options on these topics. CONCLUSION: Most obstetrics and gynecology residency programs provide some form of medical-legal instruction to residents, but the small number of sessions suggests that this is inadequate. Residency programs may benefit from a larger and more formal resident education program on medical-legal issues.