The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #50290

Ann Gerhardt, MPH¹, Laureen Tews, MPH¹, Lynne Randall, MPH², and Mary Fjerstad, NP². (1) National Abortion Federation, 1755 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20036, (2) CAPS (Consortium of Planned Parenthood Abortion Providers) Project, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, PP of Southwest and Central Florida, 21-A 9th Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33705

In September 2000, the FDA approved mifepristone (RU-486) after a decade of clinical trials proved it safe and effective for early abortion. The National Abortion Federation (NAF) and the Consortium of Planned Parenthood Abortion Providers (CAPS) represent the majority of current abortion providers in the U.S. and, additionally, NAF provides an ongoing program of accredited CME exclusively in abortion practice. NAF launched a large-scale educational initiative to train health care providers in the use of mifepristone. A significant compenent of this initiative was a joint seminar series with CAPS to train clinic staff in the provision of this method. Together, our organizations provide a unique view of how mifepristone has been incorporated into abortion practice since approval. This paper summarizes the educational programs conducted by NAF and CAPS, the extent to which mifepristone has been integrated into clinics and utilized by women, and mifepristone patient outcomes in clinic settings.

NAF and CAPS have conducted separate surveys to assess utlization patterns, efficacy rates, and incidence of complications. Since women's demand for mifepristone influences use, NAF has collected data on calls to NAF's Hotline to assess women's interest. Together, these data provide the most comprehensive picture of mifepristone use to date. From combined data, we draw conclusions about what factors may influence successful integration of mifepristone into these practice settings.

Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be able to

• List the number of NAF/PPFA clinics using mifepristone
• Describe efficacy and complications rates for the year 2001 in PPFA clinics
• Understand the challenges involved in starting to use mifepristone in NAF/CAPS clinics
• Describe the scope of educational programs implemented under the Medical Abortion Training Initiative

Keywords: Abortion,

Related Web page: www.earlyoptions.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: National Abortion Federation Planned Parenthood Federation
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: employed by National Abortion Federation