News

27th June 2005

Students denied access to labour rooms

Labouring women are refusing to allow trainee doctors to be present during the birth, according to The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Britain faces acute shortages in obstetrics and gynaecology and the numbers of new recruits have fallen dramatically in recent years.

The problem is worst among male doctors and obstetricians say training is being undermined by students, in particular men, being excluded from the delivery room.

Last year, 171 doctors became members of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Of these, only 12 were UK graduates and only three were men.

A study by the BMA of young graduates showed that in 1995, obstetrics and gynaecology was the main choice for 26 out of 545 doctors, who responded. In 1998 it had fallen to 16 out of 509 and by 2002 was down to only 6 out of 487.

Jenny Higham, a reader in obstetrics and gynaecology at Imperial College, London, said that she understood a woman's right to refuse to have students present while giving birth but stressed the importance parents play in training future obstetricians.

"We have got to realise that there is a net effect of continual exclusion," she said.

"That individual who declines will not feel it, but it will be felt in 10 years' time.

"Society as a whole appears to becoming less philanthropic, it is disheartening to go to a clinic and to have patients repeatedly say they do not want any student involvement.

"I do get slightly irritated by 'middle-class mes', who say they only want to see the consultant, without good cause. Training is a vital issue too."

She said that men in particular were feeling the brunt. "Our students are not enjoying obstetrics and gynaecology and men don't feel it is welcoming.

"We can't underestimate the negative effect.

"Male students say that increasingly women patients decline to have them involved in their care, sometimes, but not always reflecting cultural issues, making them feel despondent and subsequently rejecting the specialty as a potential career option."

Dr Melissa Whitten, chair of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology trainees' committee, said the speciality needed to be properly promoted.

"The sheer breadth and flexibility of choice in this speciality, ranging from obstetric care to surgery, endocrinology to psychology has always been a reason to enter and continue in obstetrics and gynaecology.

"I was attracted by the diversity. I found the whole process seeing your first baby born and your first caesarean section is fascinating."

"It is important students see the processes of labour." "If we work in obstetrics all we see are the problems of labour, we need educating about the normal stuff."

The college is now planning to liaise with medical schools to promote the speciality and with the Royal College of Midwives to ensure supportive work practices.

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