ArticleContraception: X2020
Adoption of no-test and telehealth medication abortion care among independent abortion providers in response to COVID-19.
Article in Contraception: X, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 74 citations in OpenAlex.
- Perceived Importance of Abortion Care Features and Access to Telehealth Technologies Among Medication Abortion Patients by Abortion Care Model: Cross-Sectional Analysis of a Prospective Cohort Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Reasons for Choosing Telehealth Abortion Based on Food Insecurity Status: United States, 2021-2022.American journal of public health · 2026Article
- Effectiveness and safety of medication abortion with vs without screening ultrasonography or pelvic examination.American journal of obstetrics and gynecology · 2025Article
- Evaluating health system barriers to sexual and reproductive health service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic in China: a mixed-methods study.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- Long-acting reversible contraception initiation after medication abortion: a retrospective cohort study.Contraception and reproductive medicine · 2025Article
- Changes in local access to mifepristone dispensed by community pharmacies for medication abortion in Ontario: a population-based repeated cross-sectional study.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2025Article
- Perspectives on Abortion Services, the Pre-Abortion Visit, and Telemedicine Abortion: A Qualitative Study in Sweden.Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health · 2025Article
- The Role of Medication Abortion Provision in US States Without Total Abortion Bans, 2023.Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health · 2025Article
- No-Test Screening Protocols May Disproportionately Exclude Structurally Oppressed Communities Who Could Benefit from Accessing Medication Abortion.Health equity · 2025Article
- Pricing of medication abortion in the United States, 2021-2023.Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health · 2024Article
- Abortion Training in Family Medicine Residency Programs: A National Survey of Program Directors 5 Months After the Dobbs Decision.Family medicine · 2024Article
- Self-diagnosing the end of pregnancy after medication abortion.Culture, health & sexuality · 2024Article
- Person-centred sexual and reproductive health: A call for standardized measurement.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2023Review
- Medication abortion via digital health in the United States: a systematic scoping review.NPJ digital medicine · 2023Article
- "I'm going to be forced to have a baby": A study of COVID-19 abortion experiences on Reddit.Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health · 2023Article
- Telemedicine for First-Trimester Medical Abortion in Canada: Results of a 2019 Survey.Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association · 2023Article
- 'The Biggest Problem With Access': Provider Reports of the Effects of Wisconsin 2011 Act 217 Medication Abortion Legislation.WMJ : official publication of the State Medical Society of Wisconsin · 2023Article
- Fear of procedure and pain in individuals considering abortion: A qualitative study.Patient education and counseling · 2023Article
- Experiences seeking, sourcing, and using abortion pills at home in the United States through an online telemedicine service.SSM. Qualitative research in health · 2022Article
- Abortion Surveillance - United States, 2020.Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Surveillance summaries (Washington, D.C. : 2002) · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveAccess to abortion care in the United States (US) is restricted by numerous logistical and financial barriers, which have been further intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to understand the ways in which COVID-19 prompted changes in clinical practices in abortion care among independent abortion clinics. STUDY
designWe surveyed independent US abortion clinics and documented changes in practice regarding the provision of abortion since March 1, 2020.
resultsAmong about 153 independent clinics invited, 100 clinics contributed relevant data and were included in the analytic sample. A total of 87% reported changes in protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reported changes included moving to telehealth (phone or video) for follow-up (71%), starting or increasing telehealth for patient consultations and screening (41%), reducing Rh testing (43%) and other tests (42%), and omitting the preabortion ultrasound (15%). A total of 20% reported allowing quick pickup of medication abortion pills, and 4% began mailing medications directly to patients after a telehealth consultation. Clinical practice changes were reported throughout all regions of the US, but facilities in the Northeast (73%) were more likely to report starting or increasing telehealth than facilities in the South (23%, p < .001).
conclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic accelerated use of telehealth among independent abortion clinics, but many clinics, particularly those in the South, have been unable to make these changes. Other practices such as reducing preabortion ultrasounds were less common in all regions despite clinical guidelines and evidence supporting such changes in practice and positive benefits for public health and patient-centered care. IMPLICATIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has created a window of opportunity to remove barriers to abortion, including expanding telehealth and reducing preabortion tests. Clinics can strive for a culture shift towards simplifying the provision of medication abortion and routinely avoiding preabortion tests and in-person visits. Such changes in practice could have positive benefits for public health and patient-centered care.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.