A Clinician's Guide to Medical and Surgical Abortion - Hardcover

Paul MD MPH, Maureen; Lichtenberg MD MPH, E. Steven; Borgatta MD MPH, Lynn; Grimes MD, David A.; Stubblefield MD, Phillip G.

9780443075292: A Clinician's Guide to Medical and Surgical Abortion

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0443075298 ISBN 13: 9780443075292

Publisher: Churchill Livingstone, 1999

Presenting a comprehensive, clinically oriented text covering all aspects of abortion care related to both medical and surgical abortion. Multiple contributors, well recognized for their expertise in abortion and women's health, contribute to make this a state-of-the-art reference on abortion for students, residents and practitioners involved in women's reproductive health care.

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From The New England Journal of Medicine:

Approximately 43 percent of women in the United States will have a voluntary abortion during their lifetime, yet medical education about abortion is limited. A Clinician's Guide to Medical and Surgical Abortion is the first comprehensive textbook about abortion care to be published in the United States in the past 15 years. The need for such a textbook has become especially important because innovations in medical abortion have evolved rapidly.

The contributors to this book are a diverse group of experts from the fields of public health, epidemiology, sociology, law and social work, and clinical medicine. The authors present the complex historical, social, and political context of abortion in the United States and other countries, and some of them provide their personal perspectives on issues related to abortion before and after the legalization of abortion in the United States.

Most of this book deals with the clinical aspects of abortion care. Chapters on surgical abortion include information on preoperative counseling, anesthesia, surgical techniques, and the management of complications. The full range of techniques appropriate for procedures from very early in gestation to late in the second trimester is covered. Since complicated abortions are rare, most practitioners have limited experience with difficult cases. An excellent chapter provides suggestions on how to manage challenging abortions. Readers should consult other sources for in-depth information on contraception and emergency contraception, which receive only brief treatment in this book.

Women around the world can now choose early abortion without surgery and are doing so in increasing numbers. A Clinician's Guide presents a thorough, evidence-based review of the safety and efficacy of mifepristone or methotrexate in combination with various prostaglandins for early abortion. The authors review the international literature on the doses, timing, and side effects of the drugs used in medical abortion and suggest several protocols. A separate chapter discusses techniques for nonsurgical abortion at later stages of gestation.

This book contains many practical suggestions and resources for new abortion providers or those expanding their services. Separate sections address legal issues, clinic organization, quality assurance, job-site safety, and antiabortion violence. Appendixes include comprehensive lists of necessary equipment, lists of professional resources, and sample documentation and consent forms. Students and new practitioners will appreciate the photographs of typical sonograms, surgical specimens, and surgical equipment.

A Clinician's Guide to Medical and Surgical Abortion is a crucial, high-quality resource in an area of medicine in which instructional materials and educators are scarce. Health care providers -- including family physicians, pediatricians, internists, nurse practitioners, and obstetrician-gynecologists -- who read this book can expect to find up-to-date and accurate information relevant to their practices. Practitioners' use of this unique book will certainly benefit the more than 1 million American women who undergo an elective abortion each year.

Anne Davis, M.D.
Copyright � 2000 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS.

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