CME Credit Available
This activity offers
1 Category 1-A AOA
1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™

About
The global increase in cesarean section rates has spotlighted significant disparities in surgical practices and patient outcomes, underscoring the urgent need for standardization. Inconsistent procedures contribute to elevated risks of complications such as infections, hemorrhage, and thromboembolic events, adversely affecting maternal and neonatal health. This presentation will delve into the critical necessity of standardizing cesarean section protocols to enhance patient care and outcomes.

This presentations examines how implementing evidence-based, standardized practices can minimize surgical risks and improve recovery times. By reducing variability in surgical techniques, anesthesia management, and postoperative care, standardization promotes patient safety and optimizes healthcare resources. The presentation will feature data demonstrating significant reductions in complication rates following protocol standardization. Attendees will gain practical insights into adopting these standards within their institutions, aiming to elevate the quality of obstetric care and achieve better health outcomes for mothers and babies.

Faculty

Meghan Cox-Pedota, DO, FACOOG

Dr. Meghan Cox-Pedota, D.O., is an obstetrician-gynecologist with a focus on clinical practice, education, and women’s healthcare. She is the OB/GYN Residency Site Director at MacNeal Hospital under Loyola University Health System and serves as an Assistant Clinical Clerkship Director at Loyola’s Stritch School of Medicine. Dr. Cox-Pedota also teaches as an adjunct faculty member at Midwestern University’s Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. Her work includes regional presentations on topics like maternal mortality and contraception at events such as the Illinois Osteopathic Medical Society and the Ward E. Perrin D.O. Clinical Refresher Course. She has received recognition in teaching, including Loyola’s Wolf and Kettle Teacher Award in 2023. Dr. Cox-Pedota has led research projects, including a quality improvement initiative to promote COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant patients and a study on IVF success rates based on ovarian response. Her affiliations include the American Osteopathic Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She currently serves as a Board Examiner for the American Board of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Questions? E-mail cme@acoog.org

Learning Objectives
Those participating in this activity will receive information that should allow them to:

• Describe the necessity of standardizing cesarean section procedures to improve patient care and reduce complications.
• Analyze the impact of standardized cesarean section protocols on maternal and neonatal outcomes.
• Develop strategies to implement evidence-based standardization of cesarean section practices within their own clinical settings.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures
ACOOG requires each planner and presenter to identify all financial relationships with ineligible companies, and mitigates risk of bias using a series of strategies for relevant relationships. Unless otherwise noted below, the ACOOG, ACOOG staff and planners for this activity have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Dr. Cox-Pedota has no relevant relationship with an ineligible company to disclose.

System Requirements
An internet connected device (computer or mobile device) with high speed access is required. The platform is Zoom. You'll need to install the Zoom Client, available here. To test your system for Zoom, click here. It is designed to work on most popular web browsers. JavaScript and cookies should be enabled in your browser in order for the activity to properly work. If you're experiencing technical issues, please update your browser, and clear your browsing history, cookies, and cache. This often solves most common technical issues.

Requirements for Successful Completion
To successfully complete this activity, participants must:

• Register for the activity
• Complete the pretest
• Participate in the activity
• Complete the posttest
• Complete the activity evaluation
• Claim credit

A certificate will be available in the ACOOG learning center (under transcripts). 

Commercial Support
This activity is not commercially supported. 

CME Accreditation
The American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association to provide osteopathic continuing medical education for physicians.

The American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

CME Credit Designation
The American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists designates this program for a maximum of 1 AOA Category 1-A credits and will report CME and specialty credits commensurate with the extent of the physician’s participation in this activity.

The American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ACOG Cognate Credit(s)
The American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists designates this activity for Category 1 College Cognate Credits. Maximum Cognates are equal to the number of  maximum AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM . A reciprocity agreement with the AMA exists that allows AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM to be equivalent to ACOG Cognate Credits.

NPs, PAs & CNMs
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) recognizes activities approved for Category 1-A credit through the American Osteopathic Association and Category 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ as providing advanced practice CE content hours for applicants seeking renewal through continuing education credit.

The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) recognizes activities approved for Category 1-A credit through the American Osteopathic Association and AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ as Regular Category 1 CME for national certification maintenance.

The Certificate Maintenance Program of the American Midwifery Certification Board accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ to satisfy its contact hours requirement. 

All NPs, PAs, CNMs and other health professionals participating in this activity will receive a certificate of completion commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. ACOOG strongly recommends all non-physician health professionals check with their certification/licensing organizations to confirm credit reciprocity.

Disclaimer
This activity is offered by the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOOG) for educational purposes only. Every patient case is different, and physicians must rely on their medical knowledge, experience, and relationships with patients to make clinical decisions. This material is not intended to represent the best or only methods or procedures appropriate for the condition discussed; rather the material is intended to present an approach, view, statement or opinion of the authors or presenters, which may be helpful, or of interest to other practitioners. Physician judgment must remain central to the selection of diagnostic tests, management strategies, therapy options, and follow-up of a specific patient's medical condition.

Use of Artificial Intelligence
The closed captions and summaries provided in this content are automatically generated by artificial intelligence (AI). While AI can enhance accessibility and comprehension, it is not infallible and may produce errors. Please keep this in mind as you engage with and apply the content. 

Grievances
Any registrant finding evidence that the continuing medical education program presented is inappropriate with regard to facilities, materials, content, or observes any unacceptable promotion by a commercial interest in the same room as the educational activity, whether by company representative or presenter, may submit a grievance in writing to ACOOG, PO Box 17598, Fort Worth, TX 76102. Unresolved issues regarding this activity will require a formal written complaint to the AOA Division of CME, 142 East Ontario Street, Chicago, IL 60611.

Privacy Policy
This activity complies with ACOOG’s privacy policies.

Data Use
Data collected as part of this activity may be analyzed as part of educational research to study the effectiveness of educational interventions on health care, population health, health care providers and others, or to identify additional needs and gaps for future interventions.

Refunds
Refunds are not available for this educational product.