Ob/Gyn training in abortion care: results from a national survey.

BACKGROUND

Abortion is one of the most common health services utilized by women in the USA. Training new providers is an important factor in ensuring an adequate supply of clinicians to provide comprehensive reproductive health services.

STUDY DESIGN

Data came from a mailed survey of obstetrician/gynecologists who completed residency in 2007.

RESULTS

Participation in first-trimester procedures training was lower than that in second-trimester procedures training. Notably, residents reported less exposure to medication abortion than nearly all other abortion procedures; only 41% of survey participants reported having received training in mifepristone/misoprostol. Significantly more respondents who trained in programs with routine training participated in first-trimester procedures, specifically medication abortion, manual vacuum aspiration and electric vacuum aspiration, compared to those who attended programs with elective training.

DISCUSSION

As the vast majority of abortions in the USA occur during the first trimester, exposure to the full array of common first-trimester abortion procedures, including both medication abortion and aspiration abortion procedures, warrants attention. These findings suggest that residency education guidelines may need to be revised to ensure adequate training in medication abortion.