(141) Fellow perspectives of abortion-related training in maternal-fetal medicine fellowship: Regional differences in a post-Roe world

Thursday, February 9, 2023

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Objective: To evaluate the importance placed by current maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) fellows on abortion-related training in their choice to attend a fellowship in a specific location.

Study Design: A cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted among all MFM fellows in June 2022. Personalized survey links were sent to each fellow utilizing a listserv provided by the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine. The primary exposure was fellowship training in a state categorized as either “open” or “hostile” to abortion services, defined by the Center for Reproductive Rights (https://reproductiverights.org/maps/abortion-laws-by-stat/). The primary outcome was self-assessed importance placed on abortion provision and training when considering a fellowship, assessed with a modified Likert scale. Bivariate comparisons of sociodemographic and Likert scale data were performed using Student’s t or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, for continuous variables, and chi-squared or Fisher’s exact tests, for categorical variables as appropriate.

Results: Of the 413 eligible MFM fellows, 190 (46%) responded. Among respondents, 98 (52%) and 92 (48%) of fellows were completing fellowship in open and hostile states, respectively. Fellows from open states had a higher frequency of self-identifying as female, to be affiliated with a complex family planning fellowship, and to participate in pro-abortion advocacy, but had a lower frequency of attending an institution affiliated with a fetal intervention center (Table). When considering the importance of abortion-related training when applying to MFM fellowship, those in open states placed a higher importance on D&Es, induction termination of fetuses with cardiac activity, and feticidal injections as part of fellowship training (Figure).

Conclusion: The location of fellowship training in an open or hostile state is correlated with the importance of abortion-related skills MFM fellows think they should learn in fellowship. These data are critical to inform governing bodies regarding needs of trainees and potential changes in requirements for MFM fellowship.

Primary & Presenting Author(s)

CeCe Cheng, MD (she/her/hers)
MFM Fellow
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, United States

Coauthor(s)

JB
John J. Byrne, MD, MPH
Physician
UT Health Sciences Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, United States
BH
Brian S. Hernandez, N/A
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, United States
JM
Joel E. Michalek, PhD
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, United States
CP
Christina M. Pierce, BS
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, United States
MM
Monica Martinez, BS
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, United States
Anna Whelan, MD (she/her/hers)
Fellow
Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island, United States
JK
Jennifer L. Kerns, MD, MPH, MS
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States
Patrick S. Ramsey, MD,MPH (he/him/his)
Professor, OB/GYN
University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, United States
Ashish Premkumar, MD
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network
Bethesda, Maryland, United States