Issue link: http://southshoremagazine.uberflip.com/i/1291546
28 Then, the unexpected occurs and you need emergency obstetrical (OB) care. While you could receive care at any traditional emergency or urgent care setting, you are best served in a setting catered specifically for expecting moms. As the first of its kind in Massachusetts, South Shore Health's new obstetrics emergency department (OB ED) is dedicated to treating emergency, urgent and unexpected issues of expecting mothers—24 hours a day, seven days a week. Emergency departments emerged with the rise of hospital-based medicine in the aftermath of World War II. Today, they play a pivotal role in the delivery of acute ambulatory and inpatient care. As our healthcare system continues to evolve, the role of EDs is evolving as well. The major investments in specialty EDs for obstetrics are part of a broader trend across the country towards a model of care that aims to improve patient access to specialist care, improve patient satisfaction and further enhance patient safety and outcomes. Prior to the OB ED's launch, a pregnant patient with complications would go to the main emergency department and then be transferred to the Labor and Delivery triage area for further South Shore Health is Redefining the Standard of Care for Expecting Mothers Kathleen Bruce, RN Associate Chief Nursing Officer for Parent Child Services Kimberly Dever, MD, Chair of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology YOU'RE EXPECTING. Brad Smith Photography S E 2014