Exploring Womxn's Experiences Obtaining Abortion Care Through Telemedicine Services in Ontario During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: Despite the overwhelming evidence that medication abortion care can be delivered safely and effectively through telemedicine services, Canadian abortion care providers have historically underutilized this modality of service delivery. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated public health measures designed to flatten the curve both exacerbated existing inequities in access and prompted service delivery innovations in abortion care. --

Objectives: This project aimed to explore the experiences of women, transgender men, non-binary folks, gender non-conforming, and Two-Spirit individuals with the capacity for pregnancy (womxn) with telemedicine abortion care. By understanding facilitators and barriers to telemedicine use as well as abortion seekers' satisfaction with remote interactions, we aimed to identify ways of improving and fortifying the abortion care system in Ontario. --

Methods: Using a multi-modal recruitment strategy, we conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with womxn who obtained a telemedicine abortion in Ontario after March 15, 2020. We used inductive and deductive techniques to analyze these data for content and themes. --

Results: The two Ontarian womxn that we interviewed were highly satisfied with the telemedicine abortion care they received and would recommend this service delivery modality with others. --

Conclusions: The results from our pilot align with a growing body of research calling for the demedicalization of medication abortion care in Canada. Future research that expands on these findings can have both policy and service delivery implications.