Reducing patient fears through modernising treatments
Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) can have a huge impact on women’s lives. Many women suffer in silence with this condition believing, wrongly, that either they should put up with it or that the only treatment is a hysterectomy. Estimates suggest that half of women with the condition do not come forward to seek help from their GP.
Whilst hysterectomy was commonly performed for HMB up to the early 1990s, the NICE clinical guideline 44 highlights the range of treatment options now available before such radical surgery needs to be considered.
The implementation advice provides help for those planning services and highlights three key areas for local review:
- Service provision
- Workforce planning and resources
- Training and education
The advice also links to key resources, such as training modules in advanced skills offered by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and other professional bodies.
The rest of the suite of implementation tools that accompany this guideline (slide set, audit criteria and costing template) offer practical support for the NHS.
