Ambulatory gynaecology may be an unfamiliar term to many gynaecologists working outside the USA. However, the term is increasingly being adopted in the UK to describe a ‘see and treat’ management philosophy in outpatient clinics in combination with minimal access surgery in the day surgery unit. In recent years, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, in collaboration with the British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy, has run scientific meetings dedicated to ‘ambulatory gynaecology’. The adoption of the concept by international and national societies will help promote the management philosophy. This move is timely because a change from traditional care pathways to more cost-effective, patient-centred approaches to medical practice lies at the heart of modern health service management. In light of this we decided to produce a book that sets out how the concept of ambulatory gynaecology can be applied to the main areas of gynaecological practice. I am grateful to the contributing authors who have given their time to write chapters for the book. They are all experts in their fields and they are actively engaged in clinical practice so their contributions are both practical and insightful.

It is hoped that after reading this book the reader will be stimulated to challenge the more traditional models of service delivery in gynaecological practice.