Teaching vaginal breech delivery and external cephalic version - A survey of faculty attitudes

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain current faculty attitudes regarding teaching of vag inal breech delivery (VBD) and external cephalic version (ECV). STUDY DESIGN: A questionnaire was sent to obstetrics ann gynecology residen cy programs. Respondents were queried regarding demographic parameters, res ident and practice experience, and attitudes toward teaching these procedur es. RESULTS: Fifty-four (96%:) surveys were returned. Sixteen (30%) respondents were female and 38 (70%) male. Sixteen (30%) completed residency prior to 1980, 17 (32%) during the 1980s and 21 (48%) during the 1990s. Nineteen (35 %) trained locally. Forty-seven (87%) recieved training in ECV. Thirty-two rcsirlency. Thirty-five (65%) recieved training in ECV. Thirty-two (60%) ha d performed VBDs in practice. However, only 18 (33%) continued to perform t his procedure. During the proceeding three years, they reported performing an average average of five VBDs per chief resident per year. Thirty-seven ( 69%) performed ECV ill clinical practice. The 17 who did not indicated that they refered to others. They reported performing an average of 15 ECVs per chief resident per year. Fifty-two (96%) thought residents should still be taught VBD. All faculty throught that residents should be taught ECV. None of the above parameters exerted a statistically significant effect on thes e opinions. CONCLUSION: There tons nearly universal faculty support for continuing to t each VBD to residents. However, only one-third of faculty members currently perform this procedure. There do not appear to be sufficient numbers of VB Ds to teach this procedure utilizing a "hands on" approach. There is univer sal support for teaching ECV. There appear to be both enough individuals wi th experience and enough procedures to accomplish this education.