A termination of pregnancy Care Pathway: worth the effort?
K. Guthrie (1), C. Waudby (2), P. Arnott (3)
Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Partnership, Hull and East Yorkshire,
UK (1); Eastern Hull Primary Care Trust, UK (2); Women’s and Children’s
Unit, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, UK (3)
Introduction: Termination of Pregnancy services in Hull were
centralised under one consultant in 1994/5. This included a central booking line
and a clinic doctors’ performa. However, co-ordination of elements of the
service was difficult, duplication of work was evident and some aspects of the
service were fragmented.
Aims and Methods: To co-ordinate care between clinical areas, sites
and professions and to ensure adherence to quality standards (RCOG Guidelines),
a full Care Pathway was developed with supporting guidelines and patient
information leaflets. This covered the patient’s journey from considering/requesting
a termination until closure of the patient episode. Variances from the pathway
were recorded as a quality tool. Results: The pathway and supporting elements
will be described including the first 18 months variance analysis.
Conclusion: The pathway has been very well received by patients and
staff, has achieved its objectives and has fully justified the effort required
in its production.
