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THE CLOSURE OF MATERNITY SERVICES IN MASSACHUSETTS

The Impact on the Obstetricians

From the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, the University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences, Memphis, Tennessee, and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Chicago, Illinois

A survey is presented of Massachusetts physicians who were staff members at hospitals which closed their obstetric services. Both personal and practice impacts are presented as well as the physicians' evaluation of their present maternity units in comparison to the closed units. The personal impact on responding physicians was small. Few reported significant financial or patient loss. While significant practice changes were reported, adverse comments were few, and the present obstetric unit was viewed as an improvement over the closed unit in ever one-half the cases. These findings support the concept of consolidation as a component of programs for regional planning of maternity care.