RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Abortion education in UK medical schools: a survey of medical educators
JF BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health
JO BMJ Sex Reprod Health
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP 210
OP 216
DO 10.1136/bmjsrh-2021-201387
VO 48
IS 3
A1 Rennison, Catriona
A1 Woodhead, Emily Jane
A1 Horan, Corrina
A1 Lohr, Patricia A
A1 Kavanagh, Jayne
YR 2022
UL http://jfprhc.bmj.com/content/48/3/210.abstract
AB Aim The 2019 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on abortion care emphasised the importance of teaching the topic at undergraduate and postgraduate level. This study aimed to investigate the current provision of undergraduate abortion education in UK medical schools.Methods Relevant medical ethics and clinical leads from the 33 established UK medical schools were invited to complete surveys on the ethico-legal or clinical aspects, respectively, of their institution’s abortion teaching. The surveys explored how abortion is currently taught, assessed the respondent’s opinion on current barriers to comprehensive teaching, and their desire for further guidance on undergraduate abortion teaching.Results Some 76% (25/33) of medical schools responded to one or both surveys. The number of hours spent on ethico-legal teaching ranged from under 1 hour to over 8 hours, with most clinical teaching lasting under 2 hours. Barriers to teaching were reported by 68% (21/31) of respondents, the most common being difficulty accessing clinical placements, lack of curriculum time, and the perception of abortion as a sensitive topic. Some 74% (23/31) of respondents would welcome additional guidance on teaching abortion to medical undergraduates.Conclusions Education on abortion, particularly clinical education, varies widely among UK medical schools. Most educators experience barriers to providing comprehensive abortion teaching and would welcome up-to-date guidance on teaching both the clinical and ethico-legal aspects of abortion to medical students. It is essential that medical schools address the barriers to teaching, to ensure all medical students have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide competent and respectful abortion-related care once qualified.Data are available upon reasonable request. An anonymised dataset can be made available upon request. The original, un-anonymised data cannot be shared due to data protection.