'Abortion' or 'termination of pregnancy'? Views from abortion care providers in Scotland, UK.

BACKGROUND: The phrase 'termination of pregnancy' has recently been adopted by a number of British medical institutions as a preferred descriptor of induced abortion. How it is used by abortion care providers is unclear, although the ongoing stigmatisation of abortion may play a role. METHODS: A mixed methods study of the views of abortion care providers in Scotland, UK. Self-administered anonymous questionnaires were distributed to abortion care providers at a national conference (Scottish Abortion Care Providers). The main outcomes measured were the proportion of respondents reporting that they found the terms 'abortion' and 'termination of pregnancy' to be distressing, and their preferred terminology for use in consultations with women. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 providers from a single clinic in Scotland to contextualise use of the terminology. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 90/118 delegates (76%). More respondents indicated they found the term 'abortion' distressing (28%), compared with those who found 'termination of pregnancy' distressing (6%; P<0.0001). Interview participants reported that 'termination of pregnancy' was the default phrase used in consultations. Some respondents stated that they occasionally purposely used 'abortion' in consultations to emphasise the seriousness of the procedure (morally, physically and/or emotionally). CONCLUSIONS: 'Termination of pregnancy' is the most commonly used term to describe induced abortion in patient consultations in Scotland. This and the term 'abortion' appear to play different roles, with the former being used euphemistically, and the latter as a more emphatic term. Further research is warranted to investigate how this interacts with patient care, service provision, and abortion stigma.

What women want: social characteristics, gender-based violence and social support preferences in a cohort of women living with HIV.

A total of 229 women attend Chalmers Centre (a city-centre integrated sexual health centre in Edinburgh, Scotland) for their HIV care and treatment. Local third-sector agencies provide peer support, but anecdotally, it is not well utilised and some demographic groups are under-represented. The aim of this study was to gain better understanding of the background social characteristics of these women, to ascertain what issues they are affected by, and to better identify what support is required and how it should be provided/facilitated. An anonymous self-completion questionnaire was developed, and all women attending HIV clinics between July and November 2015 were given the opportunity to participate. Additional data were accessed from the National Sexual Health database on cohort size and gender-based violence enquiries. Forty-four women living with HIV completed the questionnaire. 25% are unemployed. 84.6% had a combined household income of less than £30,000 per annum. 16.7% do not know anyone else, and 59.5% know only one other person, who is living with HIV. 32.6% would like to meet other/more women living with HIV, and 25.5% were unsure if they did or not. Of those who would, 42.9% would prefer a one-to-one setting, 42.9% would prefer a group setting, and 14.3% did not mind. 64.3% would prefer to meet off NHS premises. 26.8% were interested in discussion groups on women's issues, and 31.7% were unsure. The most popular suggestions for discussion group topics were stress/anxiety (nine women), HIV disclosure (eight women), diet and nutrition (seven women), and pregnancy and childbirth (six women). 26.8% were interested in attending a "women clinic" staffed by female staff, the same number were unsure if they would utilise this service or not. 50% of women had, at some point, experienced gender-based violence, 13.5% were currently experiencing gender-based violence, and four of these women have children living with them. From National Sexual Health records, only 15.7% of the cohort had ever been asked about gender-based violence. Respondents were demographically representative of our whole cohort. 75% are in employment but it appears that the majority of these women are likely to be earning lower than the national average income. To improve holistic support for these women and facilitate peer support, we need to be flexible in our approach. Gender-based violence appears to be disproportionately affecting women living with HIV in Lothian and, as a team, we are failing to routinely enquire about it. Robust referral/signposting pathways should be developed for women after gender-based violence disclosure.

An audit of hepatitis B vaccination for men who have sex with men before and after sexual health service integration.

Scottish Government guidelines identify hepatitis B vaccination as a key standard reflecting access to sexual health care for men who have sex with men (MSM). This audit was performed before and after service redesign to assess the impact of the integration of genitourinary medicine and sexual and reproductive health services on the provision of care to MSM. There was no significant difference between the proportion of males receiving at least one dose of vaccination (p = 0.64, χ(2 )= 0.222), but a significant drop in the proportion of males receiving three doses of vaccination pre- and post-integration (p = 0.0157, χ(2 )= 5.834). Advised standards are being met but follow up and recall require improvement if previously reported completion rates are required for protection.

Sexually acquired Salmonella Typhi urinary tract infection.

We report a case of isolated urinary Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi in an HIV-positive man who has sex with men. He was clinically well and blood and stool cultures were negative, indicating that this may have been a sexually acquired urinary tract infection.

Late malignant change in an ileal conduit.

Around 3000 bowel segment transpositions are performed in the UK each year and although malignancy is well-recognized following ureterosigmoidostomy, reports of similar changes in ileal conduits are sparse. We report a case of ileal adenocarcinoma in a 67-year-old lady some 49 years after ileal conduit, demonstrating previously unassociated histopathological features similar to those seen in collagenous colitis.