Telehealth Supports Access to Medication Abortion Services

Research published last week in The Lancet found that telehealth can be used to safely provide medical abortion services, ensuring access in low-resource settings. 

Due to laws and other restrictions, women often use abortion tools that are convenient, even though they may not necessarily be safe. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that in a year, about 25 million unsafe abortions occur worldwide, accounting for 45 percent of all abortions.

However, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the benefits associated with telehealth-enabled care options have led providers to increasingly implement the care modality.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the University of Cape Town in South Africa aimed to examine whether telehealth could be used to provide abortion services to underserved communities.

“This method can potentially reduce the number of unsafe abortions, something that is particularly important and relevant in times when the right to abortion is under threat,” said Margit Endler, a researcher in the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health at Karolinska Institutet and consultant in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stockholm South General Hospital, in the press release.

The study included data from 900 women affiliated with four clinics in Cape Town, South Africa, all seeking abortion services. They were at or prior to nine weeks of gestation.

Researchers created two channels through which patients would receive care. One involved standard in-person services with a consultation, an ultrasound, and abortion via oral medication provided at the clinic. The other received an interventive method of care, which consisted of an online consultation form, receiving care information through text messaging, and taking the abortion medication from home.

After reviewing data related to success levels of the two methods, adverse events and patient satisfaction, researchers found that the group that received care through telehealth experienced positive results and did not face safety issues.

“What was interesting was that the majority of women in both groups expressed that they preferred the telemedicine option. This care model can be particularly important in resource-poor areas where there is a lack of healthcare infrastructure or restrictive abortion laws. For example, women can be examined at a clinic that does not have access to ultrasound and then receive guidance for the abortion remotely,” said Endler.

Recent research has shown that abortion services can be offered effectively and safely through telehealth. Virtual care methods of providing abortion services gained further significance after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.

A study published in the Annals of Family Medicine in August described how many clinics turned to telehealth to provide medication abortion services through telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another study published in February found that the increase in telehealth use during the COVID-19 pandemic drove an uptick in medication abortions. This was mainly due to the flexibilities implemented by the Food and Drug Administration that allowed prescribed abortion medications to be mailed to patients following telehealth appointments.