The New England journal of medicine
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We compared the specialty listings of physicians in the Yellow Pages of the 1983 Hartford, Connecticut, telephone book with the board certifications in specialties of the American Board of Medical Specialties as listed in the American Medical Association directory or the Marquis Directory of Medical Specialists. There were 1179 listings by 946 physicians under 61 specialty headings in the Yellow Pages. We found that a mean of 12 percent of "specialists" listed in the Yellow Pages were not board-certified in a specialty, although they had had ample opportunity to obtain board certification. We conclude that specialty advertising in the Yellow Pages is potentially misleading to consumers and that member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties should consider ways to diminish this possible misrepresentation.
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In a national survey, we investigated the scope and circumstances of court-ordered obstetrical procedures in cases in which the women had refused therapy deemed necessary for the fetus. We also solicited the opinions of leading obstetricians regarding such cases. Court orders have been obtained for cesarean sections in 11 states, for hospital detentions in 2 states, and for intrauterine transfusions in 1 state. ⋯ Forty-seven percent supported court orders for procedures such as intrauterine transfusions. We conclude from these data that court-ordered obstetrical procedures represent an important and growing problem that evokes sharply divided responses from faculty members in obstetrics. Such procedures are based on dubious legal grounds, and they may have far-reaching implications for obstetrical practice and maternal and infant health.