Obstetrics and Gynecology Trainee Insights Regarding the Effect of the Dobbs Supreme Court Decision

Objectives: The impact of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (Dobbs) Supreme Court decision on training of United States Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) residents and fellows needs qualitative exploration. We aimed to describe how OBGYN residents and fellows feel their training may be affected. Methods: We disseminated a REDCap survey from September 19, 2022, to December 1, 2022, among OBGYN residents and fellows with open-ended questions querying trainees’ opinions around how the Dobbs decision may affect their training and the field of OBGYN. Results: The survey received 469 responses, of which 70% contributed data for qualitative analyses. The qualitative data indicated four themes: uncertainty about the future, concerns about patient care, concerns and discrepancies in OBGYN training, and suggestions and hopes for the future. Trainees, even if currently well trained in their view, are concerned about other trainees, patient safety in OBGYN clinical situations, and uncertainty about their own careers and the future of OBGYN. They are concerned that restrictions on family planning and pregnancy management in certain states will restrict care access, limit patient safety, and affect the OBGYN workforce in those locations. Conclusions: This survey of OBGYN trainees indicates significant uncertainty about equity for training and patient care in clinical situations potentially affected by the Dobbs decision and a wider concern about how this will affect the field of OBGYN and the safety of women in the United States.