The Early Pregnancy Assessment Service (EPAS) provides non-acute outpatient care for women who have pain and/or bleeding in the first 13 weeks and six days of pregnancy.
This is a Registered Nurse/Midwife led clinic supported by doctors with ultrasound accreditation and the acute gynaecological team. EPAS provides coordinated assessment, diagnostic and management planning for threatened or diagnosed pregnancy loss.
Some women will require more than one visit before a diagnosis can be made. If the women requires medical or surgical management, this can be arranged in the clinic appointment, and scheduled for a subsequent date. Our highly experienced staff will follow up each woman's case until their miscarriage is resolved.
Specialities
- Accredited early pregnancy ultrasound
- Diagnostic testing
- Counselling and education
- Management-planning
- Coordinated assessment
- Management for pregnancy of unknown location (PUL)
Clinical inclusion
- Those with pain or bleeding in early pregnancy who are clinically stable up to and including 13+6 weeks only
- Those with a known miscarriage
- Those with RPOC post miscarriage
- Those who are clinically stable with slow rising BHCG
Clinical exclusion
- Women who are clinically unstable and require emergency review
- Women >13+6
- Dating only scans
- Follow up post TOP
- Those with a negative pregnancy hormone
Frequency
Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm.
EPAS is closed on weekends and public holidays.
Referral
A GP referral is required to access EPAS. Please complete and fax the Fast Fax Referral form and include all previous relevant ultrasound reports, relevant pathology results, gynecological and obstetric history.
Please ensure that patient details are correct and up to date to ensure women are contacted in a timely manmer.
Urgent referral
Please call the receiving gynaecology registrar via Switch (see contact information on this page)
OR
If your patient is clinically unwell and requires urgent care please call 000 or send them to their local emergency department.
Appointment
EPAS staff will triage the referral and contact the patient directly with an appointment time and date. Please do not send patients directly to EPAS without an appointment.
EPAS Appointments may take between 1-3 hours depending on clinical need. Some patients require multiple appointments until a diagnosis is made.
If your patient is clinically stable and does not require urgent medical review, please do not send them to the Women's Emergency Care (WEC). Our experienced staff will triage the referral when it is received and contact the patient directly for an appointment.
Please note that at times the accredited sonographer may be male. The preference is that all ultrasounds are performed vaginally to ensure the most accurate information can be provided to the women about their pregnancy. If this situation is an issue for the woman, it can be discussed at her appointment.