Outpatient hysteroscopy/biopsy

The request was successful.

Katharine Tylko-Hill

Dear Orkney NHS Board,

Under the Freedom of Information Act please may I have answers to the following questions.
1. a) Have your hysteroscopists read the following statement issued by the RCOG in December 2018 - Y/N?
b) Have your hysteroscopy managers read the following statement – Y/N?

https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/guidelines-re...
The British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy published this statement in December 2018:
"Diagnostic hysteroscopy is a commonly performed investigation; it is safe and of short duration. Most women are able to have the procedure in an outpatient setting, with or without local anaesthesia, and find it convenient and acceptable. However, it is important that women are offered, from the outset, the choice of having the procedure performed as a day case procedure under general or regional anaesthetic. Some centres are also able to offer a conscious sedation service in a safe and monitored environment. It is important that the procedure is stopped if a woman finds the outpatient experience too painful for it to be continued. This may be at the request of the patient or nursing staff in attendance, or at the discretion of the clinician performing the investigation."
________________________________________
2. Are ALL your hysteroscopy patients from the outset routinely offered the choice of having hysteroscopy as a day case procedure a) under GA – Y/N? b) with epidural - Y/N? c) with IV sedation - Y/N?
3. Please may I have a link to all the audits of outpatient hysteroscopy that your hospital Trust has undertaken within the last 10 years.
4. Do all your hysteroscopy clinics routinely record ALL patients’ VAS pain-scores a) as hysteroscope passes through the cervix – Y/N, b) at biopsy – Y/N?
5. Does your hysteroscopy department send all its patients the RCOG’s Patient Information Leaflet, published on its website - Y/N? https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/patients/pati...
6. Does your hysteroscopy department intend to start using the RCOG leaflet – Y/N? If so, in which month/year?
7. If your hysteroscopy department uses its own Patient Information Leaflet, please may I have a link to it?
8. Does the leaflet include ALL the key points listed (below) by the RCOG – Y/N?
Key points
• Outpatient hysteroscopy (OPH) is a procedure carried out in the outpatient clinic that involves examination of the inside of your uterus (womb) with a thin telescope.
• There are many reasons why you may be referred for OPH, such as to investigate and/or treat abnormal bleeding, to remove a polyp seen on a scan or to remove a coil with missing threads.
• The actual procedure usually takes 10–15 minutes. It can take longer if you are having any additional procedures.
• You may feel pain or discomfort during OPH. It is recommended that you take pain relief 1–2 hours before the appointment.
• If it is too painful, it is important to let your healthcare professional know, as the procedure can be stopped at any time.
• You may choose to have the hysteroscopy under general anaesthetic. This will be done in an operating theatre, usually as a daycase procedure.
• Possible risks with hysteroscopy include pain, feeling faint or sick, bleeding, infection and rarely uterine perforation (damage to the wall of the uterus). The risk of uterine perforation is lower during OPH than during hysteroscopy under general anaesthesia

Thank you,

Yours faithfully,

Katharine Tylko-Hill

FOIRequests (NHS ORKNEY),

FOI Request – Acknowledgment of Receipt
I hereby acknowledge receipt of the request detailed below:

Reference number allocated to this request:
201920-258
(Please quote this reference number in any future correspondence relating to this request.)
The official date of your request is:
30/09/2019
A response should be sent to your request no later than:
28/10/2019

Note: NHS Orkney is a small remote and rural health board within Scotland. All responses to Freedom of Information requests are collated in accordance with the terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 states that a public authority must inform the applicant in writing whether it holds the requested information and if so, communicate that information to the applicant, promptly, but not later than 20 working days after receipt of the request.
For further details please refer to The Scottish Information Commissioner’s website.

Sent by:
Freedom of Information Office
NHS Orkney
The Balfour, Foreland Road,
Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1NZ

show quoted sections

FOIRequests (NHS ORKNEY),

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Tylko-Hill

Please find attached response to your Freedom of Information request.

Kind regards
Lizzy

Lizzy Walls
Freedom of Information (FOI) Officer
NHS Orkney
The Balfour, Foreland Road,
Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1NZ
Tel: 01856 888220
FOI Requests e-mail: [NHS Orkney request email]
Subject Access Requests e-mail: [email address]

Please note days of work: Monday - Wednesday 08:30 - 16:30

show quoted sections