The case for an obstetric physician

Abstract

Obstetric medicine is a branch of general internal medicine which requires a defined training programme and a formal curriculum. There is still uncertainty among physicians about this specialty, and there is no recognised entry pathway through the UK Colleges of Physicians. Obstetricians have been more aware of the need for specific medical skills both before gestation, and during pregnancy, labour and the puerperium, and have introduced a training module in Maternal Medicine as an extension of obstetric training. There is now a demand from trainee physicians for an appropriate programme which bridges the artificial divide between internal medicine and pregnancy-related medicine. This demand has a long-established historical basis, but is now a contemporary problem which needs to be addressed.