Unnecessary Testing: One Doctor's Experience

by Soraya Azari, MD

I am an extremely fortunate person - not only am I awaiting the arrival of my first child, but I've had a relatively uncomplicated pregnancy.  I say "relatively" because there has been one unpleasant aspect: having to do extra, unnecessary testing.  To explain, a bit of background: during pregnancy it is common to measure a fundal height, which represents the distance from the pubic bone to the top of where the uterus is felt.  This numerical height should roughly equal the number of weeks that have elapsed in the pregnancy.  For example, at 20 weeks gestation, the height from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus should be 20 centimeters.   

An Interview with Urmimala Sarkar, MD, MPH

Associate Professor Urmimala Sarkar was recently interviewed by Dr. Robert Wachter for WebM&M, an online journal and forum about patient safety and health care quality.

Below is the text from their discussion, reprinted with permission of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) WebM&M:
"In conversation with Urmimala Sarkar, MD, MPH [interview]." AHRQ WebM&M [serial online]. July/August 2014. Available at: http://webmm.ahrq.gov/perspective.aspx?perspectiveID=161.