Rennison Catriona, Woodhead Emily Jane, Horan Corrina, Lohr Patricia A, Kavanagh Jayne
Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
University College London (UCL) Medical School, London, UK.
BMJ Sex Reprod Health. 2022 Jul;48(3):210-216. doi: 10.1136/bmjsrh-2021-201387. Epub 2022 Apr 4.
The 2019 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on abortion care emphasised the importance of teaching the topic at undergraduate and postgraduate level. This study aimed to investigate the current provision of undergraduate abortion education in UK medical schools.
Relevant medical ethics and clinical leads from the 33 established UK medical schools were invited to complete surveys on the ethico-legal or clinical aspects, respectively, of their institution's abortion teaching. The surveys explored how abortion is currently taught, assessed the respondent's opinion on current barriers to comprehensive teaching, and their desire for further guidance on undergraduate abortion teaching.
Some 76% (25/33) of medical schools responded to one or both surveys. The number of hours spent on ethico-legal teaching ranged from under 1 hour to over 8 hours, with most clinical teaching lasting under 2 hours. Barriers to teaching were reported by 68% (21/31) of respondents, the most common being difficulty accessing clinical placements, lack of curriculum time, and the perception of abortion as a sensitive topic. Some 74% (23/31) of respondents would welcome additional guidance on teaching abortion to medical undergraduates.
Education on abortion, particularly clinical education, varies widely among UK medical schools. Most educators experience barriers to providing comprehensive abortion teaching and would welcome up-to-date guidance on teaching both the clinical and ethico-legal aspects of abortion to medical students. It is essential that medical schools address the barriers to teaching, to ensure all medical students have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide competent and respectful abortion-related care once qualified.
英国国家卫生与临床优化研究所（NICE）2019年发布的堕胎护理指南强调了在本科和研究生阶段教授该主题的重要性。本研究旨在调查英国医学院校目前本科堕胎教育的提供情况。
邀请英国33所老牌医学院校的相关医学伦理和临床负责人分别就其所在机构堕胎教学的伦理法律或临床方面完成调查。调查探讨了目前堕胎教学的方式，评估了受访者对全面教学当前障碍的看法，以及他们对本科堕胎教学进一步指导的需求。
约76%（25/33）的医学院校回复了一项或两项调查。伦理法律教学的时长从不足1小时到超过8小时不等，大多数临床教学持续时间不足2小时。68%（21/31）的受访者报告了教学障碍，最常见的是难以获得临床实习机会、课程时间不足以及认为堕胎是一个敏感话题。约74%（23/31）的受访者欢迎为医学本科生提供关于堕胎教学的额外指导。
英国医学院校之间的堕胎教育，尤其是临床教育差异很大。大多数教育工作者在提供全面的堕胎教学方面遇到障碍，并欢迎为医学生提供关于堕胎临床和伦理法律方面教学的最新指导。医学院校必须解决教学障碍，以确保所有医学生在获得资格后具备提供称职且尊重堕胎相关护理的知识、技能和态度。
