Strategies for establishing a critical care obstetric service

Abstract

Critical care obstetrics is gaining increased recognition as a subspecialty of perinatal medicine. As the specialty continues to expand, many institutions may consider establishing a critical care obstetric service. However, implementing such a service is not feasible for every institution because of space limitations, budgetary constraints, lack of necessary resources, and/or a limited number of critically ill obstetric patients. This article explores strategies for examining the feasibility of establishing a critical care obstetric service, suggests methods of implementation, and offers an alternative when establishing a critical care obstetric service is not feasible.