How can we improve care for women requesting an abortion in Scotland?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
How can we improve care for women requesting an abortion in Scotland?
IRAS ID
239573
Contact name
Jodie Smith
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 2 days
Research summary
2017 marked 50 years since abortion was legalised in the UK, putting an end to the unsafe back street abortions resulting in maternal death and severe morbidity. Over the past 50 years, there have been numerous clinical developments in abortion care, including the introduction of medical methods (mifepristone and misoprostol), suction evacuation under local anaesthesia, and simplified follow up methods to confirm success of the procedure, including the use of urine hCG tests. Issues that are currently topical include support for the decriminalisation of abortion, the unavailability of abortion in Northern Ireland resulting in thousands of women each year being forced to travel from NI to Great Britain, and women’s access to early medical abortion over the internet. This study will involve the administration of a quantitative self-administered questionnaire to all women presenting at the termination of pregnancy clinic at an NHS Lothian site (Chalmers Centre). The survey questionnaire will ask about their views on how the patient pathway could be simplified and how clinical care could be improved for women requesting an abortion. The findings will be used to inform the development of services and to help us to understand ways in which clinical care could be improved for women requesting an abortion.
The study is co-sponsored by the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian.REC name
Wales REC 5
REC reference
18/WA/0075
Date of REC Opinion
23 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion