152395 Integrating Medication Abortion into Primary Care: Provider perspective

Wednesday, November 7, 2007: 2:30 PM

Ruth Lesnewski, MD , Reproductive Health Access Project, New York, NY
Linda Prine, MD , Reproductive Health Access Project, New York, NY
Providing medication abortion requires no surgical training or special equipment. This method has the potential to be easily integrated into primary care settings and greatly expand access to abortion care. In order for medical abortion to fulfill this potential, it must be integrated into settings where no abortion care was previously provided. Three primary care providers (including a family physician and an advanced practice clinician) who do not provide surgical abortion, but have successfully integrated medication abortion into their practice, will discuss the process for adding this service to their practice, the obstacles they overcame, and how adding this service has impacted their practice.

Learning Objectives:
1. Articulate the steps necessary to integrate medical abortion into a primary care setting; 2. Explain the obstacles Primary Care physicians may face in integrating early abortion care into their practice; 3. Describe the differences between providing medical abortion and surgical abortion; 4. Describe why medication abortion is particularly well-suited to primary care.

Keywords: Abortion, Access to Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Abortion: Incidence and Access in the US
See more of: Population, Family Planning, and Reproductive Health