Two-thirds of women who attended a rapid-access hysteroscopy clinic avoided having the procedure under general anaesthetic and were managed entirely as outpatients, Sydney doctors report.

With high patient satisfaction and safe outcomes, outpatient hysteroscopy had potential to free up elective surgery lists, they wrote in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital-run clinic opened in 2016, offering a ‘see and treat’ hysteroscopy service to women, primarily for abnormal uterine bleeding and postmenopausal bleeding.

As part of the study, 481 eligible patients (mean age 54) were allocated hour-long appointments, which included a consultation and same-day hysteroscopy in a dedicated procedural room.