Multicentre criterion based audit of the management of induced abortion in Scotland.

OBJECTIVES

To assess and improve the quality of care provided to women undergoing induced abortion.

DESIGN

Two rounds of prospective, criterion based case note review audit.

SETTING

Ten NHS gynaecology units throughout Scotland.

SUBJECTS

2004 patient episodes of abortion care identified consecutively during two rounds of audit. The first round comprised 967 cases and the second round 1037.

INTERVENTIONS

Dissemination of results from the first round of audit and recommendations for change in the form of a written report and at postgraduate meetings in participating hospitals.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Improvements in quality of care as assessed against 16 previously agreed criteria, both overall across the 10 study hospitals and within individual hospitals.

RESULTS

Overall, four significant improvements occurred: increased availability of early medical abortion, decreased utilisation of surgical abortion at very early gestation, increased use of mifepristone priming before second trimester medical abortion, and increased provision of follow up. At the individual hospital level 42 of 150 elements of care studied were "close to optimal" at the time of the first round of audit, rising to 54 at the second round (NS). A total of 31 significant improvements in individual elements of care occurred, but 11 significant deteriorations also occurred (at the P < 0.05 level).

CONCLUSIONS

The prospective multicentre audit proved feasible and achieved the aims of any form of audit in terms of identifying deficiencies and variations in care. The audit results prompted objective review of local abortion services in participating hospitals. At least for some elements of care in some hospitals significant improvements were detectable.