title: Obstetrician-gynecologists, religious institutions, and conflicts regarding patient-care policies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess how common it is for obstetrician-gynecologists who work in religiously affiliated hospitals or practices to experience conflict with those institutions over religiously based policies for patient care and to identify the proportion of obstetrician-gynecologists who report that their hospitals restrict their options for the treatment of ectopic pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We mailed a survey to a nationally representative sample of 1800 practicing obstetrician-gynecologists.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 66%. Among obstetrician-gynecologists who practice in religiously affiliated institutions, 37% have had a conflict with their institution over religiously based policies. These conflicts are most common in Catholic institutions (52%; adjusted odds ratio, 8.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-46.2). Few reported that their options for treating ectopic pregnancy are limited by their hospitals (2.5% at non-Catholic institutions vs 5.5% at Catholic institutions; P = .07).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many obstetrician-gynecologists who practice in religiously affiliated institutions have had conflicts over religiously based policies. The effects of these conflicts on patient care and outcomes are an important area for future research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. stulberg@uchicago.edu
authors.forename: Debra B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Stulberg
authors.forename: Annie M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Dude
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dahlquist
authors.forename: Farr A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Curlin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006176:Gynecology; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D016519:Hospitals, Religious / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009774:Obstetrics; D016134:Organizational Policy; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011271:Pregnancy, Ectopic / Q000628:therapy; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States