The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust has launched the Think Ectopic campaign to highlight ectopic pregnancy and raise awareness of the condition among healthcare professionals. The campaign is aimed at reminding staff who would be the first point of contact for women/people presenting with symptoms in primary, out of hours, and urgent care settings.
Why the Think Ectopic campaign is crucial
Ectopic pregnancy remains common, affecting around 1 in 80 pregnancies.
The latest MBRACCE report, “Saving Lives, Improving Mothers’ Care” shows that women are still dying from early pregnancy problems and ectopic pregnancy remains the most frequent cause of maternal death in early pregnancy.
The MBRRACE team identified concerns over the number of deaths due to ectopic pregnancy which led to the review of deaths due to early pregnancy causes occurring in 2021-22 being “expedited” – meaning this review happened more quickly.
During such two-year period in the UK and Ireland, 12 women died from an early pregnancy-related cause. These were all due to ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy deaths have risen again – from 5 reported in 2019, to 8 in the 2022 report, to now 12. This is an alarming trend and ectopic pregnancy deaths in this report is almost twice the rate in the previous report.
Ambulance staff play a vital role in early recognition and response of pregnancy complications, including ectopic pregnancy.
The Think Ectopic campaign provides essential resources to help paramedics identify signs, act promptly, and ensure patients receive the care they need without delay.
Cathryn James, Senior Clinical Support Manager, AACE
The report states that all 12 women who died from an ectopic pregnancy could have had better care. Improvements to care may have made a difference to the outcome for nine women (75%).
The report highlights the need for women and clinicians to be aware of the symptoms of ectopic pregnancy and to “Think Ectopic”.
The EPT strives for a world where no woman or person should lose their life or suffer serious harm due to ectopic pregnancy.
About the Think Ectopic campaign
At the heart of the campaign is an easy-to-use ectopic pregnancy biocard. A handy patient safety tool, it highlights signs of ectopic pregnancy on one side and, on reverse, next steps for healthcare professionals when symptomatic women/people present.
The ectopic pregnancy biocard includes a QR code and link to further resources for professionals including:
- video series explaining ectopic pregnancy, covering what is an ectopic pregnancy, how to spot an ectopic pregnancy, and what to do if you suspect an ectopic pregnancy;
- pro forma for patient handover information between clinicians, particularly for referrals into early pregnancy units; and
- pro forma safety netting discharge advice for patients, to be tailored with local service arrangements and hospital details.
From the very outset, The EPT has collaborated with professionals to develop this campaign. Resources were created with healthcare professionals at University Hospitals Birmingham, Aberdeen Centre for Woman’s Health Research/Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, and NHS 111/Northwest London Integrated Urgent Care and the campaign was piloted in each location.
Why the Think Ectopic campaign is crucial for healthcare professionals
The biocards were piloted at clinical settings and used by a range of healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, midwives, and paramedics – in primary, urgent, and out-of-hours care. Feedback was highly positive, with 100% of clinical staff responses said they had used the biocards. 78% of respondents felt that it had increased their knowledge about ectopic pregnancy symptoms and 68% stated that their knowledge of how to refer someone with symptoms had increased.
We had a lady recently who was sat in a cohort and they [the paramedics] thought she was a UTI or pulmonary embolism – as soon as they did a pregnancy test within minutes she was in the right place and within an hour, she was in theatre.
It’s almost as if and up until that pregnancy test, they were thinking all sorts and then the moment they knew she was pregnancy, they went straight to an ectopic. The ambulance crew said that was on the back of the biocard.
[Feedback from pilot site lead]
The Think Ectopic campaign aligns with the MBRRACE report’s recommendations. It is endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners and supported by the College of Paramedics.
Become a Think Ectopic champion and sign up to the campaign
Sign up to the Think Ectopic campaign and receive FREE Think Ectopic biocards for your teams here.
About The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust
The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust focuses on early pregnancy loss through ectopic pregnancy. It is the leading charity on ectopic pregnancy in providing such extensive general information and support for anyone experiencing the condition.
The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust was established in 1998, founded in memory of Sophie Winter by her parents. Sophie lost her life to a misdiagnosed ectopic pregnancy.
The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust believes that the deaths and trauma associated with ectopic pregnancy should be prevented.
It provides information and resources to anyone affected by the condition through its medically evidenced and overseen website and peer support services.
For more information, visit www.ectopic.org.uk or contact The EPT by emailing ept@ectopic.org.uk.
