ENDOMETRIAL ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES - AN AUDIT OF CURRENT PRACTICE IN SCOTLAND

The objective was to determine, in relation to endometrial assessment procedures, the extent to which the current practice of gynaecologists in Scotland (as assessed both by questionnaire survey of clinicians a nd review of hospital records) accords with recommendations in recent evidence-based guidelines, All 132 consultant gynaecologists in Scotla nd were surveyed and 123 (93%) responded, In addition, the case record s of 1199 consecutive women undergoing endometrial assessment procedur es in 12 representative hospitals were reviewed, Over two thirds of co nsultants agreed that endometrial assessment procedures are seldom ind icated in women aged under 40 years and over 80% agreed that when such procedures are indicated, outpatient endometrial biopsy represents th e method of choice, However, the review of case records showed that 23 % of the women who underwent endometrial assessment were aged under 40 years and only 44% of the procedures undertaken were out-patient endo metrial biopsies, We conclude that some Scottish women may be undergoi ng endometrial assessment procedures unnecessarily and that, in some c entres, traditional dilatation and curettage is being replaced by hyst eroscopy under general anaesthetic in theatre although there is no evi dence that this procedure provides more clinically useful information than out-patient endometrial biopsy.