Gynecology World Conference 2026

Introduction: Many female patients presenting to the Emergency Department with abdominal pain are reviewed by General Surgery teams, as gynaecological presentations can mimic surgical emergencies. Studies demonstrate that gynaecological history is not being adequately documented when patients are admitted under General Surgery (1), increasing the risk of misdiagnosis of gynaecological emergencies. This project aimed to identify any gaps in gynaecological history taking, in the Surgical Assessment Unit (SAU) at a large district general hospital.

Methodology: A retrospective study analysing documented admission notes of 33 female patients aged 16 to 60, who presented to the SAU with abdominal pain over a two week period in April 2025. It was noted whether documentation had occurred regarding: abnormal vaginal discharge, abnormal vaginal bleeding, contraceptive use, last menstrual period, pregnancy risk. An educational poster on gynaecological history taking was installed in the SAU, and distributed amongst healthcare professionals. Subsequently, the admission notes were analysed for 32 patients that met the same inclusion criteria, over a two week period in August 2025.

Results: Following intervention, there was a significant increase in the number of patients asked when their last menstrual period was, from 9% to 56%. Documentation of whether the patient was sexually active improved, from 0.6% to 40%.

Conclusion: The data collected demonstrates an improvement across the board in terms of questions asked and documented. This project emphasised the value of education on the importance of taking a thorough gynaecology history, when reviewing women of childbearing age who present with abdominal pain.