BackgroundIn 2010, the NIH and ACOG recommended increasing women’s access to trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC). This study explored access to TOLAC in California, change in access since 2007 and 2010, and characteristics of TOLAC and non-TOLAC hospitals.MethodsBetween November 2011 and June 2012, charge nurses at all civilian California birth hospitals were surveyed about hospitals’ TOLAC availability and requirements for providers. VBAC rates were obtained from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD). Distance between hospitals was calculated using OSHPD geocoding.ResultsAll 243 birth hospitals that were contacted participated. In 2010, among the 56% TOLAC hospitals, the median VBAC rate among TOLAC hospitals was 10.8% (range 0-37.3%). The most cited reason for low VBAC rates was physician unwillingness to perform them, especially due to the requirement to be continually present during labor. TOLAC hospitals were more likely to be larger hospitals in urban communities with obstetrical residency training. However, there were six (11.3%) residency programs in non-TOLAC hospitals and 5 (13.5%) rural hospitals offering TOLAC. The majority of TOLAC hospitals had 24/7 anesthesia coverage and required the obstetrician to be continually present if a TOLAC patient was admitted; 17 (12.2%) allowed personnel to be 15-30 minutes away. TOLAC eligibility criteria included one prior cesarean (32.4%), spontaneous labor (52.5%), continuous fetal monitoring and intravenous access (99.3%), and epidural analgesia (19.4%). The mean distance from a non-TOLAC to a TOLAC hospital was 37 mi. with 25% of non-TOLAC hospitals more than 51 mi. from the closest TOLAC hospital.In 2012, 139 hospitals (57.2%) offered TOLAC, 16.6% fewer than in 2007. Since 2010, five hospitals started and four stopped offering TOLAC, a net gain of one hospital offering TOLAC with three more considering it. Only two hospitals cited change in ACOG guidelines as a reason for the change.ConclusionsDespite the 2010 NIH and ACOG recommendations encouraging greater access to TOLAC, 44% of California hospitals do not allow TOLAC. Of the 56% allowing TOLAC, 10.8% report fewer than 3% VBAC births. Thus, national recommendations encouraging greater access to TOLAC had a minor effect in California.

Ultrasound is an important aid in the clinical diagnosis and management of normal and complicated pregnancy and childbirth. The technology is widely applied to maternity care in the United States, where comprehensive standard ultrasound examinations are routine. Targeted scans are common and used for an increasing number of clinical indications due to emerging research and a greater availability of equipment with better image resolution at lower cost. These factors contribute to an increased demand for obstetric ultrasound education among students and providers of maternity care, despite a paucity of data to inform education program design and evaluation. To meet this demand, from 2012 to 2015 the University of California, San Francisco nurse-midwifery education program developed and implemented an interprofessional obstetric ultrasound course focused on clinical applications commonly managed by maternity care providers from different professions and disciplines. The course included matriculating students in nursing and medicine, as well as licensed practitioners such as registered and advanced practice nurses, midwives, and physicians and residents in obstetrics and gynecology and family medicine. After completing 10 online modules with a pre- and posttest of knowledge and interprofessional competencies related to teamwork and communication, trainees attended a case-based seminar and hands-on skills practicum with pregnant volunteers. The course aimed to establish a foundation for further supervised clinical training prior to independent practice of obstetric ultrasound. Course development was informed by professional guidelines and clinical and education research literature. This article describes the foundations, with a review of the challenges and solutions encountered in obstetric ultrasound education development and implementation. Our experience will inform educators who wish to facilitate obstetric ultrasound competency development among new and experienced maternity care providers in academic and clinical settings. This article is part of a special series of articles that address midwifery innovations in clinical practice, education, interprofessional collaboration, health policy, and global health.