Are others as confused as me as to the function of these units?? I have had 2
instances this week where patients have rang NHS Direct during the night to be
told to p[op down to the GP in the morning and they will get them seen very
pronto that day at the EPAU. Ring the EPAU and I am told 'no appointyments for x
days - where x is 3 upwards. The patient has great expectations that they will
be seen there and then that day and scanned, nad hence guess who becomes the
heartless non-caring villain - i.e. you guessed it!! I even tried to lay it on
the other day regarding abdominal pain and ?? ectopic, but was then told that
this referral would have been inapropriate anyway. Now if these units are not
present to exclude early ectopics, can someone tell me what they are there for??
If they are there to scan the patient to re-assure them that they have a viable
pregnancy at a point in time, what happens the next or a few days later when
they have the same problems? Call me old fashioned, but I think that you can be
a lot more callous by scanniung these ladies and giving them false hope, rather
than an expectnat treatment, holding oiff scanning and waiting a few days. The
latter management seems to be unacceptable these days. Can someone convince me
that the EPAU is the best way to go? If so, how do you tell the patient without
alienating them that their appointment for a scan is in 3-5 days time? Oh for
the days of poor sensitivity pregnancy tests when you could have convinced them
that it was a 'late period', and the pre- EPAU days when you could see how
things went for a few days. I am quite happy for you to prove me wroing on this
one, but I would value the thoughts of others!
Best wishes
Paul Bromley
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