Representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics have also been close partners, as ACOG officials view the HRSA-sponsored Bright Futures guidelines (which includes the “Periodicity Schedule”) as a potential model for well-woman care. The guidelines are comprehensive, well-organized, and user-friendly, ACOG officials said.
At the University of Virginia, in the meantime, Dr. Peterson is arming the next generation of ob.gyns. with the skills needed for a team-based approach to well-woman visits. She said nurse practitioners and physician assistants will provide much more of the education and “more of the truly individualized conversations with patients” that will increasingly be part of well-woman care.
This is already happening. All of the nurse practitioners in Dr. Johnson’s group practice perform well-woman visits, “referring to the gynecologists for complicated gyn problems and out to the patient’s primary care physician for complicated medical problems,” Dr. Johnson said.
Even as the tools and recommendations for women’s preventive care become more evidence-based, the scope of well-woman visits will be based on risk factors, shared decision making, and other issues, Dr. Peterson said. “We will be telling patients, this is your path for your well-woman care,” she said.
Throughout 2016, Ob.Gyn. News is celebrating its 50th anniversary with exclusive articles looking at the evolution of the specialty, including the history of contraception, changes in gynecologic surgery, and whether the practice environment is better or worse.