AN AUDIT OF EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION - A LOOK AT PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS AND THE EFFECTS OF A CONSULTATION PROFORMA

The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of patients r equesting emergency postcoital contraception at a genitourinary medici ne (GUM) clinic. We also compared the quality of information obtained during the consultation, before and after a proforma was introduced. A retrospective review of all clinical notes of patients who attended f or postcoital contraception between January and December 1994 and Apri l to June 1995 was performed. Eighty-three per cent of patients were a ged 17-29 years, 68.8% were in relationship, 41.3% were not using regu lar contraception, 33.8% accepted a sexual health screen and of these, 14.8% had a concurrent sexually transmitted disease (STD). The introd uction of a consultation proforma significantly improved certain areas of the consultation. The results suggest that sexual health screens s hould be encouraged in women attending GUM clinics for postcoital cont raception and that the use of a proforma improves the quality of infor mation obtained.