How can telehealth provision of early medical abortion be improved?

Since the pandemic telehealth abortion has become more widespread in many countries. In Australia medicare item numbers were introduced in July 2021 which for the first time enable women to access medical abortion remotely through telehealth supported by medicare. Little is known however about which women are accessing this service and what their experiences in the Australian context have been. This project aims to describe which women have utilised Telehealth abortion in Australia and determine their views about how the service can be improved. The study will use a mixed methods approach analysing available data and using interviews to elicit patient perspectives The results of this study will help inform improvements in telehealth service provision of medical termination of pregnancy in Australia. This project sits within a program of research being undertaken by Professor Mazza in SPHERE, a NHMRC-funded Centre of Research Excellence in Sexual and Reproductive Health for Women in Primary Care. This is the first dedicated Centre to lead research that is aimed at improving the quality, safety, and capacity of primary health care services to achieve better outcomes in women’s sexual and reproductive health. Students working under SPHERE will be supported by Professor Mazza's research team, which consists of Post Docs, PhD students, academic registrars and honours students. They will also have the opportunity to be part of a large, multidisciplinary, collaborative team of investigators, which includes prominent national and international researchers and experts working in women’s health, general practice, pharmacy, nursing, epidemiology, knowledge translation, health economics, and policy development.