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Table 1 Subcategories and definitions by WHO MA subtask

From: Glancing at the past and course-setting for the future: lessons from the last decade of research on medication abortion in high-income countries

Category

Subcategory

Definition

WHO Subtask 1. Assessing eligibility

Eligibility assessment

Using different mechanisms, such as LMP and pelvic bimanual versus ultrasound to determine eligibility for early MA

WHO Subtask 2: Administering the medications and managing the process and common side-effects

Clinical management

Safety and efficacy

Testing different clinical innovations and regimens for MA

Feasibility

Practicability of administration of mifepristone-misoprostol or misoprostol-only regimens on MA in various situations and contexts

Management of side effects and complications

Self-administration of medication and self-management of pain, bleeding, expulsion of the products of conception, and self-identification of the need to seek formal healthcare for potential complications

Models of service delivery

Facility-based models

Assessment of different models of facility-based provision of MA

Information and counseling

Models of providing and receiving information on MA before undergoing the procedure

Online and telemedicine provision

Provision or acquisition of MA pills and/or information about the procedure via website or via telemedicine, i.e. providers using telecommunications technology to interact with patients remotely

Home use

Safety, effectiveness and experiences of administration of mifepristone-misoprostol or misoprostol-only regimens by an individual at home. This also includes partial self-administration

Pharmacy provision

Documentation of sourcing of MA from pharmacists or pharmacies, regardless of the legal context

WHO Subtask 3: Assessing completion of the procedure and the need for further clinic-based follow-up

Failure and adverse events related to MA

Prevalence and characteristics of adverse events, including failure and need for surgical intervention, hospital admission, blood transfusion, emergency department treatment, intravenous antibiotics administration, infection, and death, as follow-on events from cases of self-administration of combined regimen and/or misoprostol-only induced abortions

Post-abortion follow-up using β-hCG

Using serum hCG measurements for monitoring of abortion completion versus or in place of ultrasonography

Models for post-abortion follow-up

Effectiveness of different types of MA service delivery follow-up options, e.g. home pregnancy test, checklists, bimanual or speculum examination by provider, telephone follow up etc. to assess completion

Ultrasound

Techniques or technology associated with conducting and/or reading ultrasound as part of the MA process – only for completion

Post-MA contraception

Take up, safety and acceptability of contraceptive methods after MA

Other clinical

Prevalence

Analyses of proportions of a population experiencing (aspects of) MA; can include subgroup analyses, and association and correlations with other factors

MA in particular populations

Analyses of the safety, efficacy, acceptability and service delivery options for certain sub-groups of a given population

Surgical vs. medical abortion

Comparison of surgical and MA regarding factors such as preference, access, acceptability, safety, efficacy etc

Social science

Knowledge, attitudes and practices

Assessing the awareness, views and behaviors of different populations regarding MA among women, partners, providers and relevant others

Women's preferences and experiences with MA

Measure of preferences regarding MA among women who have used it

Legal/policy context

Related to laws and policies governing MA

Cost-effectiveness

Economic analyses of relative costs and outcomes of different aspects of the delivery and/or receipt of MA care // Documentation of the degree to which a specific aspect of MA is good value for the resources required