FSRH launches Intrauterine Contraception UK National Benchmarking Audit 2023

FSRH has developed this free electronic tool for UK members to audit their provision of Intrauterine Contraception (IUC) at their services. This audit is primarily focused on those working in primary care but will be useful for those in specialist services and other settings.

FSRH members should return their completed audit by 20th November 2023.

Benchmarking services can help clinicians understand how their service performs nationally, it may provide evidence of audit activity for appraisals, it can be used in discussions with funders, and it can help clinicians identify areas for development.

Five auditable standards have been selected for services providing IUC to benchmark their practice against other services in the UK.

1. 100% of healthcare practitioners undertaking intrauterine contraception (IUC) insertion have been appropriately trained and have up-to-date FSRH certification or have maintained local accreditation through agreed local pathways.
2. Prior to insertion, 100% of IUC users have been given information about the expected changes in bleeding pattern with an IUC.
3. 100% of individuals having IUC inserted should be made aware of the anaesthetic/analgesia options available.
4. Following insertion, 100% of individuals should be given information on the device inserted, including the name of the device, its duration of use and whether it can be relied upon immediately for contraception or if other precautions are required.
5. 100% of individuals should be advised how and when to check their threads and when to seek review (e.g. threads are not palpable, thread length becomes shorter or longer, the stem of the device is felt or the user has concerns).

To take part, by 20th November 2023, FSRH members need to:

1. Download the Excel workbook at the foot of this page and start recording data in the ‘Recording Sheet’ tab.

2. When they have collected and entered their data into the Excel workbook, submit the excel sheet to FSRH CEU via email to CEU.Chalmers@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

3. They will receive their service’s ranked scores by the mid December 2023.

Full information and contact details for questions about the process is included in the audit Excel workbook and you can contact the FSRH CEU Researcher, Eric Chen at Eric.Chen@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk.

We hope that members will take part in this initiative, which we hope will be really useful for clinicians looking to audit and benchmark their services.

Download our latest FSRH Clinical Guideline: Intrauterine Contraception (2023)