Medication abortion via digital health in the United States: a systematic scoping review
Abstract Digital health, including telemedicine, has increased access to abortion care. The convenience, flexibility of appointment times, and ensured privacy to abortion users may make abortion services via telemedicine preferable. This scoping review systematically mapped studies conducted on abor...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-07-01
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| Series: | npj Digital Medicine |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-023-00871-2 |
| _version_ | 1797419110915637248 |
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| author | Fekede Asefa Kumsa Rameshwari Prasad Arash Shaban-Nejad |
| author_facet | Fekede Asefa Kumsa Rameshwari Prasad Arash Shaban-Nejad |
| author_sort | Fekede Asefa Kumsa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Digital health, including telemedicine, has increased access to abortion care. The convenience, flexibility of appointment times, and ensured privacy to abortion users may make abortion services via telemedicine preferable. This scoping review systematically mapped studies conducted on abortion services via telemedicine, including their effectiveness and acceptability for abortion users and providers. All published papers included abortion services via telemedicine in the United States were considered. Articles were searched in PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar databases in September 2022. The findings were synthesized narratively, and the PRISMA-ScR guidelines were used to report this study. Out of 757 retrieved articles, 33 articles were selected based on the inclusion criteria. These studies were published between 2011 and 2022, with 24 published in the last 3 years. The study found that telemedicine increased access to abortion care in the United States, especially for people in remote areas or those worried about stigma from in-person visits. The effectiveness of abortion services via telemedicine was comparable to in-clinic visits, with 6% or fewer abortions requiring surgical intervention. Both care providers and abortion seekers expressed positive perceptions of telemedicine-based abortion services. However, abortion users reported mixed emotions, with some preferring in-person visits. The most common reasons for choosing telemedicine included the distance to the abortion clinic, convenience, privacy, cost, flexibility of appointment times, and state laws imposing waiting periods or restrictive policies. Telemedicine offered a preferable option for abortion seekers and providers. The feasibility of accessing abortion services via telemedicine in low-resource settings needs further investigation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:43:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c6ecbacf922d4f1e9872845b3989a1c5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2398-6352 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:43:43Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Digital Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-c6ecbacf922d4f1e9872845b3989a1c52023-12-03T10:44:29ZengNature Portfolionpj Digital Medicine2398-63522023-07-016111110.1038/s41746-023-00871-2Medication abortion via digital health in the United States: a systematic scoping reviewFekede Asefa Kumsa0Rameshwari Prasad1Arash Shaban-Nejad2The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) - Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Center for Biomedical Informatics, Department of Pediatrics, College of MedicineThe University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) - Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Center for Biomedical Informatics, Department of Pediatrics, College of MedicineThe University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) - Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Center for Biomedical Informatics, Department of Pediatrics, College of MedicineAbstract Digital health, including telemedicine, has increased access to abortion care. The convenience, flexibility of appointment times, and ensured privacy to abortion users may make abortion services via telemedicine preferable. This scoping review systematically mapped studies conducted on abortion services via telemedicine, including their effectiveness and acceptability for abortion users and providers. All published papers included abortion services via telemedicine in the United States were considered. Articles were searched in PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar databases in September 2022. The findings were synthesized narratively, and the PRISMA-ScR guidelines were used to report this study. Out of 757 retrieved articles, 33 articles were selected based on the inclusion criteria. These studies were published between 2011 and 2022, with 24 published in the last 3 years. The study found that telemedicine increased access to abortion care in the United States, especially for people in remote areas or those worried about stigma from in-person visits. The effectiveness of abortion services via telemedicine was comparable to in-clinic visits, with 6% or fewer abortions requiring surgical intervention. Both care providers and abortion seekers expressed positive perceptions of telemedicine-based abortion services. However, abortion users reported mixed emotions, with some preferring in-person visits. The most common reasons for choosing telemedicine included the distance to the abortion clinic, convenience, privacy, cost, flexibility of appointment times, and state laws imposing waiting periods or restrictive policies. Telemedicine offered a preferable option for abortion seekers and providers. The feasibility of accessing abortion services via telemedicine in low-resource settings needs further investigation.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-023-00871-2 |
| spellingShingle | Fekede Asefa Kumsa Rameshwari Prasad Arash Shaban-Nejad Medication abortion via digital health in the United States: a systematic scoping review npj Digital Medicine |
| title | Medication abortion via digital health in the United States: a systematic scoping review |
| title_full | Medication abortion via digital health in the United States: a systematic scoping review |
| title_fullStr | Medication abortion via digital health in the United States: a systematic scoping review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Medication abortion via digital health in the United States: a systematic scoping review |
| title_short | Medication abortion via digital health in the United States: a systematic scoping review |
| title_sort | medication abortion via digital health in the united states a systematic scoping review |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-023-00871-2 |
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