Sunshine Coast Health has treated its first patients in a newly opened Outpatient Hysteroscopy Clinic, meaning women who require the procedure will now have far less disruption to their daily lives.
A hysteroscopy allows clinicians to look inside a woman’s uterus to help diagnose or treat any problems, and Sunshine Coast Health can now offer this under local anaesthetic instead of general.
Sunshine Coast Health Obstetrics and Gynaecology Senior Registrar Dr Adeline Foo was part of the team spearheading the new service.
“Having to come in for a surgery under general anaesthesia will take about 6 to 14 hours total when you include waiting time before the surgery, the surgery and recovery – whereas in our outpatient hysteroscopy service people are in and out within an hour or so,” Dr Foo said.
Dr Foo and the team work closely with the women to keep them comfortable during the procedure.
“In terms of pain relief during the procedure there is plenty we can offer, starting from the local anaesthetics, gas, the green whistle, we encourage women to take Panadol and nurofen before the procedure, we provide heat packs, we offer different music choices and playlists and lastly ‘vocal local’ I call it – we will keep talking to you until you’re sick of us.”
A hysteroscopy is commonly used to diagnose and treat abnormal uterine bleeding or to remove endometrial polyps.
“Based on our numbers on the past few years we’re doing about 300 hysteroscopies under general anaesthesia every year, and we’re hoping to be able to help with at least 80 per cent of those women,” Dr Foo said.
Carmen Rashford was one of the first few patients to utilise the service.
“I had an ultrasound on my uterus, and they could see some growth in there and I have had really heavy bleeding since February, so a few months, and they just wanted to investigate more.”
She said it was a relief knowing she would be in and out within an hour and could drive herself home.
“I was extremely nervous but the pain, it was just like a pap smear,” she said.
“They did ask me if I wanted injections to numb the cervix and I said no to start with I’d like to try without it and then if it didn’t work, we would numb the area, but I didn’t need it.
“When they started the doctor talked through everything they were going to do, she made the nurses clear a little spot so I could see the TV, they started playing some music and were talking about life and they did the procedure, and it was okay.”
The Outpatient Hysteroscopy Clinic is based out of Nambour General Hospital and the equipment, including five specialised hysteroscopy cameras, was funded by hospital charity Wishlist.
“The $178,000 was funded largely by Wishlist Coffee House - Wendy and her team of volunteers and staff raised the funds largely towards the provision of that service - along with Wishlist Giving Day proceeds in March this year,” Wishlist CEO Lisa Rowe said.
“Wishlist has invested significantly in women’s health initiatives over the last year or so both through the provision of the hysteroscopes and related equipment as well as a MyoSure device down at SCUH.”
A hysteroscopy under General anaesthetic will still be offered to women who require it.